Apple Podcasts is now available on Alexa smart devices outside of the US. Where it has been available since 2019.

This adds to the increasing list of Alexa podcast skills and comes hot on the heels of Amazon's announcement that it will be releasing podcasts exclusive to the Amazon Music platform.

How to Listen to Apple Podcasts Using Alexa

Alexa users have been able to access Apple Music for some time, but the addition of Apple Podcasts will be a welcome change for those wanting to keep all of their podcasts in one place. Previously, the only way to play Apple Podcasts via Alexa devices was by using a regular Bluetooth connection, somewhat missing the point of voice activation.

You can add the Apple Podcasts skill by searching for it on the Amazon website, or via the skills menu in the Alexa app.

The Alexa skill page for Apple Podcasts

After linking your Apple Podcasts account, you'll be able to launch your favorite podcasts by saying:

"Alexa, play [Title of Podcast] on Apple Podcasts"

Alternatively, if you make Apple Podcasts the default Alexa podcast service, you can miss out the final three words:

"Alexa, play [Title of Podcast]"

Every country that has the Apple Podcasts skill available also has native language support, allowing you to listen to, and control, podcasts in your native language via Alexa.

A Welcome Change for Fans of Podcasts

Apple Podcasts Logo

The addition of Apple Podcasts highlights a change in attitude for large scale media providers. Historically Google, Amazon, and Apple would try to keep their users locked to their platforms. This never made sense for podcasts, which are usually created independently and distributed freely on multiple platforms.

Everything changed recently with the high profile acquisition of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast by Spotify. Shortly after, Amazon announced that the Amazon Music service will now carry podcasts. The company itself is adding exclusive shows, including Disgraceland, formerly of iHeartMedia, and new series like The First One featuring hip-hop DJ, Khaled.

This new trend in platform exclusive podcasts opens the gates for more leniency on which services are available on smart home devices. While there have always been ways to get the media of your choice playing on Alexa or Google Home devices, this will hopefully make it a more straightforward process.

The Start of the Podcast War?

Apple has always been one of the top providers for podcasts, and having native Alexa support is a great addition. Now that Amazon and Spotify are releasing podcasts exclusive to their platforms, it would be surprising not to see Apple follow suit soon.

What will this mean? We'll have to wait and see, but given Roku's somewhat unorthodox decision to add the Roku Channel to Amazon Fire TV, it seems likely that there will be more cross-platform services coming over the coming months.