Can I stop iTunes from loading podcasts on my laptop?

May 6, 2018 7:32 PM

I listen to podcasts exclusively on my iPhone. I want to use iTunes on my laptop for music only. I want to keep the podcasts on my phone, but not have them automatically load onto my laptop. Is this even possible?

Every time I open iTunes on my laptop, it starts automatically downloading all of my podcasts. I don't want this to happen. I still use a Nano (I know - I'm old - and it's perfect for the gym). If I want to change the music on my Nano, I need to connect it to my laptop. But if my laptop automatically downloads podcasts, it will also try to load them onto my Nano - and there isn't room. When I try to Google this, everything I find is about stopping podcasts from downloading automatically altogether - and I want them on my phone. The only thing I can think of is deleting them from my phone every time I want to connect my Nano to my laptop. Is there an easier way?

posted by FencingGal to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

I just turn my wifi off before I open iTunes on my laptop, but it does seem there must be a better way.
posted by charmedimsure at 7:44 PM on May 6, 2018

Best answer: Can you use a different podcasting app entirely on your phone (like Overcast), and remove all your subscribed podcasts from Apple’s ecosystem?
posted by bcwinters at 7:47 PM on May 6, 2018

Best answer: it will also try to load them onto my Nano - and there isn't room.

Under iTunes > Preferences > Devices there's a checkbox "Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically." Checking this will prevent the podcasts trying to auto-dump onto your Nano, at least.

I don't really do podcasts, but also under iTunes Preferences there's a "Downloads" tab that has a checkbox to auto download things purchased on other devices to your "main" computer. If this is checked try unchecking it to see if the podcast downloads stop.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:51 PM on May 6, 2018

A different direction that you’re looking, but you could always manage your podcasts in a different app dedicated to podcasts and delete them from iTunes entirely. I prefer Overcast, but there are many out there all of which are significantly better than iTunes!

On preview... should have realized someone already mentioned this! It’s worth seconding tho!!
posted by cgg at 8:03 PM on May 6, 2018

Best answer: Using an alternate podcast app is the best way to do this because those apps are also better than the Apple podcasts app. I do this and now my itunes now have no information about my podcasts which is good because Apple/iTunes is very bad at podcasts. Apple was so bad at podcasts that I stopped listening to them all together awhile back. It's much better this way.
posted by bleep at 8:14 PM on May 6, 2018

Are you using Apple’s Podcasts app on your phone? Using it will allow you to keep them coming to your phone and you can stop them downloading to iTunes on your laptop.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:19 PM on May 6, 2018

Response by poster: I checked the box to stop syncing - I'll see if that solves it.
I've heard that Overcast is better. Are all the same podcasts available? I use the Apple podcast app - that's the one that was downloading to my laptop. You used to be able to set it so that it would shut down when a podcast was over - there's a Buddhist podcast I like to listen to when I can't sleep and I used that feature - but now it will just keep playing podcasts all night unless I turn it off. So I'm not a fan of the app.
posted by FencingGal at 8:39 PM on May 6, 2018

Overcast does have all the podcasts Apple does, and can be set to sleep when a podcast is over, or after a certain number of minutes.
posted by cgg at 9:01 PM on May 6, 2018

Best answer: The Apple app has been getting less and less usable with every update. Try Overcast or what I use, Pocketcasts. I know Pocketcasts definitely does what you want, has all the (bazillions) of podcasts I listen to and is overall a much better, more lightweight user experience.
posted by charmedimsure at 9:11 PM on May 6, 2018

Best answer: For what it’s worth, FencingGal, the sleep feature still exists. While a podcast is playing (or paused), tap the bar at the bottom to bring the box that kind of pops over the rest of the page. That box is scrollable. Scroll til you see “sleep timer”, tap that, then at the bottom there’s an option for “when current episode ends”.
posted by Night_owl at 9:20 PM on May 6, 2018

Best answer: I've tried a number of the alternative podcast apps, and I far and away prefer Downcast, which doesn't get mentioned much, so I thought I'd stick up for it here.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:55 AM on May 7, 2018

Nthing Overcast recommendations. It has a built-in podcast directory where I’ve found nearly every cast I’ve searched for, though you can also add feeds manually.
posted by Celsius1414 at 12:31 PM on May 7, 2018