The iOS Overcast app has been my go-to for listening to podcasts for quite some time. But even though I have an Apple Watch, I’ve never really used it to manage my podcasts. Thanks to an updated Overcast user interface, this will change.
To check it for yourself, download the latest version of Covered for iOS. The application is free, but funded by advertising; if you don’t like it, a $ 13 / year subscription is available to take the visual burden off you.
From there pull the look app on your iPhone, scroll to the bottom and install Overcast (if you haven’t already).
Launch the app on your Apple Watch and wait for it to sync with your iPhone’s Overcast version. You’ll then be taken to a new main screen that features a handful of icons at the top of a list of your vertically scrolling podcasts – a welcome change from the app’s old horizontally scrolling interface. Accessing your shows and episodes is now much easier and faster.
Screenshot: David Murphy
This icon at the top left allows you to synchronize the Overcast version of your Apple Watch with your iPhone whenever you want. Note this, because you’ll definitely want to press it a lot if you do a lot of local reading on your Apple Watch – although I must point out that syncing your apps won’t immediately mean you have something to listen to on your Apple Watch. . In Overcast’s default settings – which you can adjust by tapping the gear icon – the Apple Watch app will download the first 20 episodes of your playlist only when it’s charging and connected to wifi:
Screenshot: David Murphy
When you play a podcast – on your watch or by controlling your iPhone with your watch – you will now see a three dot button in the lower right corner. By tapping on it, you will get a description of the episode you are listening to. You’ll also go here to adjust the playback speed and, if your episode supports it, go through its individual chapters.
Screenshot: David Murphy
Screenshot: David Murphy
Beyond updates to the user interface, you will now be able to ask Siri to play a podcast by name “in Overcast” to launch it directly. And that includes podcasts you haven’t yet subscribed to, which is a great added touch. Finally, if you use the sun watch face for your Apple Watch, you can add an Overcast complication that directly launches the podcast application:
Screenshot: David Murphy
That’s it for the major new features – welcome improvements to an already phenomenal app, provided you’re using it on an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer. The update ditches watchOS 6, which means you won’t be able to access it if you’re using an original Apple Watch or Apple Watch Series 2. At least developer Marco Arment tried:
I know I’m sorry!
I actually bought a Series 2 from eBay to try and get the new app to work, but after many frustrating hours I couldn’t.
The new app is more modern and ambitious in its User Interface (SwiftUI) framework and functionality, and it needs more than what the old hardware can offer. https://t.co/iVCpNJfBhF
– Covered (@OvercastFM) February 26, 2021
Overcast’s big update also doesn’t work with iOS 12:
The new update (2021.1) was the result of months of work and thousands of lines of code. I won’t bore you with too many details, but here are some highlights.
First off, the bad news: sorry, I had to ditch support for iOS 12, watchOS 6, and the old Today widget. (Soon new widgets!)
– Covered (@OvercastFM) February 26, 2021
