According to MacRumors, Apple is introducing three significant updates to its Podcasts app with iOS 26.2. All English podcast shows will now receive automatically created chapters to help users navigate episodes and return to specific sections. Podcast creators can offer timestamped links to Apple Music, Apple TV, and other Apple services that appear inline while being discussed. The update also includes enhanced tools for podcast creators through Apple Podcasts Connect. iOS 26.2 is currently limited to developers but will likely get a public beta this week before launching in December.
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The chapter revolution
Automatic chapters are basically Apple‘s attempt to solve one of podcasting’s biggest frustrations – trying to find that one interesting part you remember hearing. Here’s the thing: Apple will use creator-submitted chapters if available, but if not, the system generates them automatically. This could be huge for discovery and retention. But I wonder about the accuracy – will AI-generated chapters actually capture meaningful segments, or just create arbitrary breaks? The fact that creators can turn this off in Apple Podcasts Connect suggests Apple knows some might prefer manual control.
Links that actually work
The timestamped links feature is genuinely clever. Instead of digging through show notes while driving or working out, relevant links appear right in the player when they’re being discussed. Apple says links might even be automatically created for mentioned podcasts. This could transform how listeners engage with content. But there‘s a catch – it only works with Apple’s own ecosystem (Music, TV, News). That’s classic Apple walled garden behavior. Still, for creators who frequently reference other content, this could be a game-changer for driving engagement.
What this means for podcasters
For creators, these updates represent both opportunity and obligation. The automatic features lower the barrier for producing polished, navigable content. But they also create pressure to optimize for Apple’s systems. The chapter automation in particular raises questions about quality control. Will listeners trust machine-generated chapters as much as human-curated ones? And for smaller creators without the resources to manually chapter every episode, this could level the playing field significantly. It’s another step toward making podcast production more accessible while simultaneously tying creators tighter to Apple’s ecosystem.
