Spotify is best known as a music streaming service, but it also offers podcasts. Almost every popular podcast, including some exclusives, can be accessed on Spotify. Making Spotify the perfect streaming service for people who like listening to both music and podcasts.

In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about listening to podcasts on Spotify. Including how to find them, follow them, and download them.

How to Find Podcasts on Spotify

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If you're used to switching between several apps to access your music and podcasts, Spotify will be a breath of fresh air. Because the Spotify library makes your life easier by letting you access music and podcasts in one place.

Podcasts are available in all versions of the Spotify app, and regardless of whether you pay or listen for free. Episode progress is also synced between devices, which is really convenient. Episodes can also be downloaded for offline listening on mobile devices.

We've put together a guide to assist you in efficiently exploring Spotify's vast catalog of podcasts.

Related: Does Spotify Care More About Podcasts Than Music?

You'll find various podcasts on Spotify's main podcast page, with a changing theme that's personalized for you based on your listening preferences and consumption behaviors.

"Compelling Conversations," which features notable interviews from a variety of genres, and "Love and Relationships," which includes guidance and narrative-driven podcast content, are just two examples of what might appear on your Spotify homepage.

There's a diverse choice of topics to choose from, and each time you log in, you may see something new.

Browse Spotify's Podcast Categories

The Categories area is designed to steer you in the proper direction while also allowing you to browse freely. For instance, Arts & Entertainment are grouped together in one genre, so you'll have to search within those results for one or the other while being exposed to everything in between.

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Simply type "podcasts" into the main search box and press the Podcasts genre symbol that appears to browse genres. Once you've arrived at the main genre page, scroll down to find a list of categories to explore. Click See All in the upper right-hand side to see more than what's presented.

Search for Podcasts That Interest You

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To find podcasts that incorporate keywords that highlight your interests, use the main search box.

Suppose you're looking for a podcast on body positivity and fitness, for example. In that case, you may search for "body positive fitness podcast" and find both podcasts and playlists with a variety of subject-related content.

Teach Spotify What Types of Podcast You Like Listening To

The more you listen and review, the better the app will learn about you and your preferences. When you go to your podcast homepage, you'll get a list of "Podcasts You Might Like" based on your listening preferences.

You'll also find "Top Podcasts," "New Podcast Episodes," and "Your Daily Podcasts" to lure you with what other listeners are talking about at the watercooler.

How to Follow Podcasts on Spotify

Once you have found a podcast you like, you should Follow it in order to add it to Your Library. This makes it easy to find, and means you'll be notified when new episodes are released.

Here's how to use the Spotify app for iOS, Android, and Windows to locate and follow podcasts:

  1. Make sure you're logged in to Spotify on your device by opening the app.
  2. Select Search and type in a podcast title or category. As you write, some results will appear automatically. If you can't find what you're looking for, scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit See all podcasts.
  3. To learn more about a podcast and listen to episodes, tap on its name.
  4. When you locate a podcast you want to listen to, click the Follow button next to the title. If you've followed it correctly, the button should change to Following.
  5. To see your Spotify-followed podcasts, go to Your Library > Podcasts.

The Your Library feature not only groups all of your followed podcasts together for easier access, but it also automatically displays them by the date of their most recent episodes. Podcasts with fresh episodes will display at the top of the list, while those with older episodes will show at the bottom.

Related: How Spotify's Paid Podcast Subscriptions Work

How to Download Podcasts on Spotify

If you want to listen to a podcast offline, you can download it from Spotify. Unlike songs, albums, and playlists (which require a paid Spotify subscription in order to download), all Spotify users can download podcasts to listen to them offline.

Here's how to download podcasts from Spotify onto your mobile device:

  1. Select Your Library.
  2. Select Podcasts.
  3. To download an individual episode, tap the name of the podcast.
  4. To download an episode to your device, scroll down the episode list and hit the down arrow icon to the right of an episode.
  5. The down arrow indicator will turn green once the episode has finished downloading. The podcast episode list or Your Library > Podcasts > Downloads can be used to play downloaded episodes.

Some Advantages of Using Spotify to Listen to Podcasts

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There are various reasons why many people choose Spotify over other services for listening to podcasts.

  1. Fewer Apps. Many people already have the Spotify app installed on their device, so listening to podcasts eliminates the need to download another app or sign up for a separate service.
  2. Device Support. In addition to iOS, Android, and Windows, Spotify is available on smart speakers, games consoles, and many other internet-connected devices.
  3. Simple UI. In comparison to other programs, the Spotify user interface is quite simple to grasp.
  4. Podcast Discovery. Spotify's algorithm routinely recommends new podcasts based on past episodes you've downloaded or listened to.

Spotify Is Great for Listening to Podcasts

Spotify began as a music app, but it has evolved into much more than that. The company is continually innovating, and part of that is pushing further into the podcast market.

Spotify is investing heavily in podcasts, and the format is becoming increasingly important to the company. So you may as well learn how to listen to podcasts on Spotify, as they're not going away anytime soon.