Apple has made a number of changes to the Apple Podcasts app in iOS 14.5, and one of the most striking is the replacement of “Subscribe” with “Follow” to change the way users connect with podcasters and their content, in perhaps the first move towards Podcasts+.
The company decided to dissociate the word Subscribe with Podcasts because, according to a report from Edison Research, around 47% of users associate “subscribe” with paid content – and Apple says it’s concerned that it would result in fewer people using the app and ultimately subscribing to content, failing to understand that it’s free to do so.
Speaking to Podnews, Tom Webster from Edison Research said: “Today, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube are the three most widely used services to play podcasts, and now the word Subscribe means ‘automatically download for free’ in exactly none of them.”
The news comes just weeks after it had been reported Apple was working on a new premium podcast platform. Though we don’t know the ins and outs just yet, the likelihood is that Apple Podcasts+ will form part of the company’s growing paid services division, and will offer users access to exclusive, ad-free podcast content from big names in the industry.
Earlier in the week, Apple announced a new partnership with Common Sense Media, which will see the companies curate content suggestions for children. Apple has also launched a new companion app for its Apple TV+ show For All Mankind, its first original commission.
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