In this post, I outline how to use Siri with the Podcasts App. For instance, did you know you can use Siri to start a specific podcast or skip around when a podcast is playing? Siri can do all that and more—even search for new podcasts.
See the most common questions answered in the FAQ section, or view the complete list of Siri podcast commands under Keeping Up With Siri in the table of contents below.
- FAQs
- Keeping Up With Siri
- Podcasts Commands
- “Hey Siri, play podcasts”
- “Hey Siri, play it twice as fast”
- “Hey Siri, jump back 30 seconds”
- “Hey Siri, skip ahead 10 seconds”
- “Hey Siri, play”
- “Hey Siri, pause”
- “Hey Siri, play This American Life”
- “Hey Siri, listen to The Ted Radio Hour”
- “Hey Siri, play the newest episode of The Daily podcast”
- “Hey Siri, play the first episode of the Crimetown podcast”
- “Hey Siri, search for Radio Lab podcast”
- “Hey Siri, find the Serial podcast”
- “Hey Siri, download the new Around the Horn podcast”
- Podcasts Commands
FAQs
Can Siri play podcasts?
Yes. Siri can play podcasts using the Podcasts App. Siri can do more than just play a podcast, though. Check out the list of commands below.
Can Siri control podcasts?
Absolutely. With Siri, you can do things like skip around in a podcast, change the play speed, and stop and start the podcast episode. View the complete list of capabilities below.
Keeping Up With Siri
Getting the most out of your iPhone requires learning Siri commands. But discovering what all Siri supports is a challenge. That’s where this series, Keeping Up With Siri, comes in. I outline Apple’s Siri Guide of the 366 commands and capabilities Apple’s Voice Assistant can do. This post focuses on using Siri to control podcasts with your iPhone or iPad.
Podcasts Commands
“Hey Siri, play podcasts”
When you use this command, Siri starts playing the podcast that was most recently played. If you paused your last episode, Siri will pick up right where you left off.
“Hey Siri, play it twice as fast”
If you find that your podcast is moving a bit too slowly for you, this command will help. When you give Siri this command, Siri plays the podcast faster than normal, causing anyone who is speaking to speak faster.
Personally though, this feature seems silly. Why not enjoy the podcast as the creators intended? Speeding things up definitely changes the overall podcast experience—and not always for the better.
“Hey Siri, jump back 30 seconds”
Did you miss something that was just said? Want to hear it again? When you use this command, Siri rewinds your podcast 30 seconds, or any number of seconds you specify, thereby giving you another chance to listen.
“Hey Siri, skip ahead 10 seconds”
Rather than play the podcast faster, try out this command. When you say this command to Siri, your podcast will skip forward 10 seconds from the current position, saving you some time and letting you skip parts of a podcast.
“Hey Siri, play”
“Hey Siri, pause”
Both commands work roughly the same. When you tell Siri to either “play” or “pause,”, Siri either starts or stops your podcast without you having to do so manually. Siri attempts to use context to guess what you’re referring to when you use these commands. For example, if the last thing you did with your phone was play music, Siri will likely try to play music instead of a podcast. But if the last thing you did with your iPhone was to play a podcast, Siri will assume you mean to give this command as it relates to starting or stopping podcasts.
“Hey Siri, play This American Life”
Siri can start playing any podcast you give by name. For instance, when you use this command, Siri starts playing the most recent episode or the next episode you haven’t listened to of This American Life.
If you haven’t listened to it yet, I recommend trying out an episode of This American Life. It’s a public radio show that’s converted into a podcast and features a news broadcast, short stories, and more.
“Hey Siri, listen to The Ted Radio Hour”
Siri also recognizes the word “listen” as an alternative verb to “play.” For example, when you use this command, Siri starts playing the Ted Radio Hour podcast, a weekly podcast composed of content from TED Talks. These include guest speakers covering many different subjects.
“Hey Siri, play the newest episode of The Daily podcast”
You can specify which podcast episode you’d like to listen to. In this case, the “newest” refers to the most recently released episode. For instance, when you use this command, Siri plays the newest episode of The Daily podcast, a news show by The New York Times.
“Hey Siri, play the first episode of the Crimetown podcast”
Starting a podcast at the newest episode might not be ideal, especially for those that chronicle a story. What you can do instead is stat from the beginning. Using this command, Siri plays the very first episode of Crimetown, a podcast about… wait for it…crime (big surprise, I know).
“Hey Siri, search for Radio Lab podcast”
You can also use Siri to search for podcasts via the Podcasts App. When you use this command, Siri searches for the phrase “Radio Lab” in the Podcasts App. Radio Lab is a podcast, which covers science and philosophy topics.
“Hey Siri, find the Serial podcast”
Here’s an alternative way to search for podcasts with Siri. When you use this command, Siri opens the Podcasts App and searches for the term “Serial.” The first podcast that shows up is this one, which is a nonfiction story that’s being told over time.
And if you haven’t given Serial a listen to yet, I highly recommend it.
“Hey Siri, download the new Around the Horn podcast”
You can use Siri to trigger downloads of podcasts, too, letting you listen at a later time—even when you don’t have internet access. With this command, Siri downloads the most recent episode of the podcast Around the Horn.
With a handful of different commands, you can use Siri to control your podcasts, letting you find both new ones and adjusting the current podcasts you’re listening to. If you’re interested in learning more of what Siri can do on your iPhone, follow along to the series Keeping Up With Siri Commands.
How about play the next podcast? Or play this specific podcast, number 35? Or play the previous podcast? My mother is blind and relies on Podcasts, but we cannot get Siri to play anything but the latest episode.
How about “Play at 1.25x?” Doesn’t work. In fact, “Hey Siri, play it at one and a half times normal” (which Siri actually says to try) doesn’t work. It plays some rap tune. This is a mess.