Apple's Podcast App is Terrible

I'm done with the Apple Podcast app for iOS. It has been deleted from my iOS devices. 

Love at first site

When I first saw the Podcast application in the app store after the most recent Apple World Wide Developer Conference, I was pretty excited. I am a huge podcast fan. I listen to podcasts all the time. Some for learning photography, some for keeping up to date on the latest technology, some just for fun. So what could be better than an application made by Apple for the specific purpose of listening to my favorite shows? I thought I would I loved it. 

• The tiled interface looks really slick.
• The "tape to tape" interface is functional and fun. 
• The subscription and sorting options really help keep your listened to and not listened to shows in some kind of order. 

 I thought it was all so cool. So slick. So Apple. But it isn't. 

Where do broken hearts go?

After struggling for at least two weeks with the app I have now deleted the app. I couldn't stand it any longer.

• It's buggy, annoying and crashes all the time.
• The app hangs anytime you start it.
• Selecting a podcast and trying to download it makes me want to pull my hair out and I don't have a lot left to pull.

I am now happy using the old Music app to play my podcasts because it actually works.

Does the Podcast app work with iTunes?

The biggest part of my frustration is trying to figure out how the Podcast app integrates with iTunes. Since the new Podcast app has a choice to subscribe to the podcasts you listen to, do I still need to subscribe to my podcasts in iTunes? Do I still need to add and remove podcasts when I update my iPhone? I searched on the Apple website and could find no information on how the app integrates with iTunes. I went through all my podcasts in the iTunes app and unsubscribed to them since I was now subscribed in the Podcast app. But then all my podcasts showed up in the Podcast app with old shows listed that had already been heard.


I have no idea what's going on with the Podcast app, but I'm not using it any longer. And part of this is Apple's fault. Most everything that Apple does is great, from computers to the app store to iTunes. Their products work well and because they work well, it's a huge letdown when something they produce doesn't work properly. 


Until Apple releases an update to the app and it's working properly, I recommend staying away from the app for the time being. 


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