Apple adds support for transcripts to the Podcasts app in iOS 17.4 beta and says transcripts will be generated automatically after an episode is published
Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 17.4 today, and there are a couple of changes to the Apple Podcasts app.
9to5MacChance Miller
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already been building Podcasts’ creator-side measurement stack: its earlier podcast analytics beta added listening and engagement reporting. Automatic transcripts extend the product from measuring audio consumption toward providing a text layer alongside episodes.
The beta feature became part of the subsequent iOS 17.4 release, while later coverage characterized automated transcription as a request from disabled listeners and podcast creators.
First-order effects
Podcast episodes published through Apple Podcasts can receive automatically generated transcripts, giving listeners a text-based way to follow episodes without a separate creator workflow.
Podcast creators gain an Apple-provided transcript feature at publication, rather than needing to make transcription availability depend solely on their own production tools.
Second-order effects
Transcripts can make text accessibility and in-episode navigation more salient product expectations for podcast apps and hosting platforms.
Creators that already produce transcripts may need to assess how Apple’s generated version fits with their own formatting, editing, and distribution workflows.
Third-order effects
If Apple continues pairing creator analytics with automated content features, podcast distribution could become more dependent on first-party platform tooling rather than standalone publishing services.
The trend: Apple Podcasts is evolving from an audio playback app into a platform that adds first-party accessibility, creator tooling, and richer media formats around each show.
The new transcript feature of Apple Podcasts is very nice. I need to explore it more, but at first blush, the results are better than any other AI tool I've used. — Quality transcripts are expensive, and to have this for free is is big win for podcast producers, accessibility,…
Fun fact: Apple has been working on podcast transcripts for quite some time, going as far back as iOS 13. — In my review, I wrote: “It'll be interesting to see if Apple will ever consider displaying full transcripts in the Podcasts app's Now Playing screen”. https://www.macstor…
@benthompson Apple wants to make sure their podcast offering is accessible. It might be that you don't want to do that in which case this distribution might not be preferred by you. This sort of thing happens often in retail for ex. when retailers impose packaging requirements on…
@stevesi I can (and have) accommodated folks for whom there is an accessibility challenge. As a content creator I want to decide if I have easily screen-shotted text available by default or not.
Apple's new ToS for podcasts claims that you can opt out of transcripts, but there is no option to do so in Podcast Connect. If I wanted to provide a transcript, I would, as I do for Stratechery Interviews. Apple unilaterally deciding how I publish my content is not right. [image…