How to listen to a podcast

Inline article image — Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Listening to podcasts, or audio programs, is simple and free if you have access to the internet. All you have to do is choose a podcast application and then sample from the thousands of podcasts made around the world. All podcasts are free, and you can listen to them with most any podcast application on your smartphone or computer. Here's how.

On a website

The simplest way to listen to a podcast is on a web browser, such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox. You can do this from your computer or a mobile browser on your phone.

Find a website that has a podcast you like — such as the TribCast, our weekly political gab fest.
Select an episode and find the player on the page. Click play to listen to the podcast. Make sure your device’s sound is turned on.

On your iPhone or iPad

If you’re an iPhone user, use the Apple Podcasts app to listen to podcasts. It comes pre-loaded on your iPhone, and — like all podcast apps — it’s free to use.

Find the app on your phone by searching for “Podcasts.” (If it’s not on your phone, go to the App Store and download it.)
Open the Podcasts app.
Go to the search page by clicking on the magnifying glass button at the bottom of the screen.
A search box will appear at the top. Type in the name of the podcast you want to find. Try entering “Texas Tribune” and then tap the “search” button.
Tap the podcast you want from the search results. This will take you to the podcast’s homepage.
Once there, you’ll see a list of recent episodes. Tap on one to play it.
If you like what you hear, tap the “subscribe” button at the top of the page to subscribe for free. This means the podcast app will automatically download the latest episodes to your library.

On your Android phone

If you have an Android phone, use the Google Podcasts app. To find the app, search for “Google Podcasts” in the Play Store app or click this link on your phone to open it in the store .
Install the app.
Open the app and use the search box to enter the name of the podcast you seek. (Try “TribCast” to find one of our podcasts.)
Tap on the podcast you want from the search results
Like what you hear? Tap the “subscribe” button. Once you’ve subscribed to a podcast, it will appear at the top of the Google Podcasts app.