How to play Apple podcasts on an Amazon Echo speaker

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Alexa has a lot of useful skills, namely in the audio entertainment category. You can use Amazon’s voice assistant to control music, listen to audiobooks and tap into radio broadcasts. Echo devices can play podcasts from providers like Apple, too. 

If you use Apple podcasts on your iPhone or iPad, you might find yourself wanting to listen to them aloud while you’re home. Luckily, Echo owners in can ask Alexa to launch any of the 800,000 shows in the Apple Podcasts directory using their voice. 

You could already connect your Apple Music account to your Echo, but support for Apple Podcasts is a fairly new skill (and one of the best Alexa skills); here’s how to play Apple podcasts on an Echo speaker.

How to play Apple podcasts on an Echo speaker

Step 1: Open the Alexa app on your mobile device. 

Step 2: Select the hamburger icon > Skills & Games

Step 3: Search for Apple Podcasts

Step 4: Click ‘Enable’ on the Apple Podcasts skills page. You'll be asked link your Apple ID to start playing Apple Podcasts from your Echo speaker.

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Voice commands for playing Apple Podcasts on an Echo

Once you've enabled the Apple Podcast skill, you can say things like: 

  • "Alexa, play {podcast name}."
  • "Alexa, resume {podcast name} podcast."
  • "Alexa to skip 30 seconds."
  • "Alexa, start {podcast name} podcast from the beginning."
  • "Alexa, play the next episode."

Want to know more about what you can do with your new Echo smart speaker? Here's our complete guide to how to use Alexa.

Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.