Apple Podcasts Subscriptions service delayed until June

Apple has sent out an official email to podcast creators informing them that the recently announced Podcasts Subscriptions service will be delayed until June. There’s no specific launch date mentioned in the new email and the service was previously supposed to launch in May.

Several issues forced the delayed launch including some podcast creators being locked out of Apple’s Podcasts Connect portal. Some authors also saw delays in the launch of their new podcast episodes. Apple Podcasts Subscriptions allows users from over 170 countries to subscribe to select podcasts with ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes.

Complete email statement from Apple:

We’re writing to provide an update on the availability of Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels. We’ve been delighted by the response to last month’s announcement and it’s exciting to see the hundreds of new subscriptions and channels submitted from creators across the globe every day.

To ensure we are delivering the best experience for creators and listeners, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels will now launch in June. We will communicate further updates on availability, and best practices to help you prepare your subscriptions and channels, through this newsletter.

Over the last few weeks, some creators have experienced delays in the availability of their content and access to Apple Podcasts Connect. We’ve addressed these disruptions and encourage creators experiencing any issues to contact us.

We’ve also heard from listeners and made adjustments based on their feedback with iOS 14.6, which was released on Monday. We will introduce additional enhancements to Library in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your understanding. We can’t wait to see your new subscriptions and channels and we are looking forward to launching them to listeners around the world soon.

Via