Developer Marco Arment is revisiting the Apple Watch after an initial foray he deemed so unsatisfactory that he aborted it back in August 2017. The popular (and free) Overcast podcast app for iOS now also has a sibling app on the Apple Watch. Podcasts works with Apple Watch versions all the way back to the Series 1 but excludes the original Apple Watch, which cannot run watchOS 5. Apple has released an Apple Watch version of its Podcasts iOS app, which enables transferring podcasts from phone to watch and turns the Apple Watch into a decent standalone podcast player.

Now, thanks to capabilities exposed in watchOS 5, better podcast apps have arrived. Until recently, though, copying podcast files to the Apple Watch could only be accomplished using obscure third-party apps with rough edges and reliability problems (see “ Five Apps That Play Podcasts Directly from Your Apple Watch,” 9 April 2018). This approach appeals to athletes and those who prefer not to carry an iPhone at all times. Using the Apple Watch as a standalone, iPod-style podcast player makes sense: Load episode files into its internal storage, leave the iPhone behind, and hit play on the Apple Watch to start listening through AirPods or other Bluetooth earbuds.

#1653: Apple Music Classical review, Authory service for writers, WWDC 2023 dates announced.

1654: Urgent OS security updates, upgrading to macOS 13 Ventura, using smart speakers while temporarily blind.

#1655: 33 years of TidBITS, Twitter train wreck, tvOS 16.4.1, Apple Card Savings, Steve Jobs ebook.

#1656: Passcode thieves lock iCloud accounts, the apps Adam uses, iPhoto and Aperture library conversion in Ventura.

#1657: A deep dive into the innovative Arc Web browser.

Pocket casts apple watch