How to access AMI-audio Podcasts on the Apple Podcast App

This app provides easy access to popular and featured podcasts and is fully accessible using VoiceOver, plus, it comes free with the operating system. Siri is tightly integrated within the Podcast app. Try it now: activate Siri with your method of choice and say, “Play the latest podcast episode of Kelly and Company.” The podcast should start in a few seconds. Download the podcast app on the App Store.

Useful gestures for this app:

  • One finger touch and drag: explore the screen
  • Swipe right or left: select the next or previous item
  • One finger double-tap: activate the selected item
  • Two-finger double-tap: answer or end a call. Play or pause in music, videos, voice memos or podcasts
  • Two finger scrub: while touching with two fingers, toggle screens 
  • Rotor gesture: while touching the screen with two fingers slightly apart, turn them in the same fashion as turning a dial on a radio
  • One finger swipe up or down: activates the feature you have chosen with the rotor gesture

How to subscribe:

  1. Across the bottom of the screen are four tabs which take you to different sections of the Podcasts app. Find the "Search" tab in the bottom right corner. Perform a double-tap on this tab. 
  2. Once in this area, find the Edit field at the top left of the screen and activate it with a double-tap. This puts you in editing mode.
  3. Enter the name of the show you wish to subscribe to. For example, Live from Studio 5.
  4. Once you have entered the text to be searched for, find the "Search" button which will be in the bottom right corner of the screen. Double-tap this button to perform the search.
  5. Starting at the top left, flick right through the results of your search. When you find Live from Studio 5, double-tap on it. This takes you to the podcast entry.
  6. Starting from the top left, flick right through the information about the podcast and double-tap on the "Subscribe" button. It is found one flick to the right of the podcast name. Once that is done, you can flick right a few more times and find the newest episodes. Double tap on any of them to start listening to the podcast right away. 

How to play: 

  1.  Once you have subscribed to one or more podcasts, use the “Library” tab found at the bottom of the screen to find your subscribed podcasts.
  2. The "Library" tab will list the recently updated podcasts. Flick left or right with one finger to navigate the list. Double-tap on a podcast name or episode to bring up episodes screen. Swipe right to the “Play” button and double-tap to hear the most recent episode. Alternatively, you can continue swiping right to navigate other episodes. Double-tap on any of them to start playback.
  3. During playback, a simple mini player appears at the bottom of the screen. Navigate through the player with your usual swipe left and right gestures. There is a play/pause button which you can double-tap to toggle. Tip: You can also use what is called “the magic gesture” to play/pause playback. This gesture is a two-fingered double-tap on the screen. There is also a “Fast Forward” button which is activated with a double-tap. You can also use the remote control on your headset or buttons on speakers or keyboards to control playback. At the top left is a "Back" button which returns you to the “Library” tab.

Extra Information: 

  • There are four tabs across the bottom of the Podcasts app: "Listen Now" at the far left, "Library", "Browse," and "Search" on the far right.
  • The "Listen Now" tab contains all the most recent podcast episodes starting from the most recent and working backwards in chronological order. Rather than going by episode number, it has episodes in order by day and time published. You can also reach the “Notifications Settings” on this screen, which lets you choose whether to be notified when new episodes of your favourite podcasts are available.
  • The "Library" tab contains all the podcasts you have subscribed to. You can view by show or episode, look at only things that are downloaded to your iOS device, remove shows or episodes, etc. 
  • Still on the “Library” tab, you'll find a handy heading labelled "Recently Updated." Shows or episodes are normally in chronological order. Double-tap on a show or episode to select it just like in the "Listen now" tab. Once you're down to the episode level, flick right and you'll find the title of the episode preceded by the word "Play." Double tap to begin playback. Flick right and you will encounter the “More” button. This is where you find the functions to “unsubscribe,” access specific settings for that podcast etc. Unlike other screens on this app, there is a cancel button at the bottom. Otherwise, most screens have a "Back" button at the top left of the screen.
  • There's a "Browse" heading at the top of the screen. Flick left and right through the various buttons and double-tap on what interests you. The first selections are new or popular shows. You can find various curated collections such as a "Featured” section, "Top Chart," "All Categories" section, and just above the mini player, a "Featured Providers" section. Remember that no matter how far you drill down into a category, there's always a "Back" button. 
  • The "Search" tab is very simple. You can choose to search all podcasts or just the ones in your library. "Search" is simply an edit field to type in your search terms. Once you perform a search, you can flick through the results and subscribe to any podcast that interests you.
  • During playback of an episode, you will be presented with a mini-player which can be expanded by double tapping on the “Album Artwork” option, or the title of the podcast, which are both found to the left of the play button. The screen will pop up hiding the four tabs. The episode will start playing and you'll find a "Dismiss Player" button at the top left. There are play controls including buttons to skip forward by 30 seconds or backward by 15 seconds, share what you're listening to, change the playback destination to connected devices, etc.

Was this helpful? We want your feedback. Tell us what you think about these platforms. Are they accessible? Do you enjoy using them? Is there another app you use to download podcasts that you prefer?

Email us at feedback@ami.ca or reach out to us on Twitter @AMIaudio and let us know what you think!

 

 
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