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iOS 15 adds personalized recommendations to ‘Listen Now’ tab in Podcasts

With the iOS 15 launch today, there’s plenty to be excited about. One of the things is new personalized recommendations in the Podcasts’ Listen Now tab.

After updating to the new operating system, Apple Podcasts listeners will be able to discover additional personalized recommendations through new sections in Listen Now to help them find their next favorite show.

Sections titled “If You Like ‘[Show Name]’” recommend additional shows that listeners of that show are engaging with. For example, the “If you like ‘Back Issue’” section might recommend popular shows in the Society & Culture category, more shows with a discussion format or that focus on pop culture, additional shows from Pineapple Street Studios, and other shows listeners of Back Issue are also following.

Apple Podcasts listeners will also find new sections with personalized recommendations based on topics they care about. For example, listeners who enjoy shows categorized by their creators under Arts will see new sections with suggestions for shows categorized under Books, Design, and Food. These recommendations are based on the more than 100 categories and subcategories available to creators that can be modified at any time in Apple Podcasts Connect or through a third-party hosting provider.

This feature is available to Apple Podcasts listeners in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand beginning today. Those listeners will also see sections in Listen Now for “Channels To Try,” “Shows You Might Like,” and “Episodes You Might Like,” which was previously only available for the US audience with iOS 14.

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Not only that, Apple Podcasts, like Apple Music, TV, and Photos, now support the new “Shared With You” tab. When a friend sends you a recommendation through the Messages app, the episode of this podcast will appear in your Apple Podcasts app.

When listeners navigate to the shared episode, show, or channel, a button at the top indicates who shared it with them. They can tap that button from the corresponding page — or section in Listen Now — to jump right back to the moment it was shared in Messages and send a Tapback or reply.

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