iOS 18: Podcasts App Now Shows Chapter Segments When Scrubbing

In iOS 18, Apple's Podcasts app now shows chapter segments of a podcast when you scrub through a currently playing episode, making it easier to browse through the audio content.

podcasts scrubbing chapters ios 18

Image credit: Reddit user Wristnut

As spotted by Redditor "Wristnut," navigating the timeline across the chapter segments shows the chapter name above the line. Note that this behavior appears in the Podcasts app proper, and it is not currently reproducible on the Lock Screen media controls in ‌iOS 18‌ beta 2.

While the ability to scrub through chapter segments is new, chapters themselves are not. Some podcast listeners may not be familiar with them because creators have to manually add chapters, and many shows have not adopted them. Creators must specify chapters in the header of an MP4 file or by modifying the ID3 tags of MP3 or AAC files using third-party tools.

When creators do support chapters, listeners can find them by swiping up on the Now Playing screen on iOS and iPadOS or by clicking the Chapters button located in the top-right corner of the Podcasts app for macOS. Creators can also provide chapter-specific artwork that is displayed on the Now Playing screen and on the Lock Screen on iOS and iPadOS, providing a timely visual supplement to the podcast.

Apple Podcasts supports chapters for MP4, MP3, and AAC files, whether they are available from the directory or manually added to the Library via an RSS feed. Some of the tools used to add chapters include Ferrite on iOS and iPadOS, Forecast by Overcast, Podcasts Chapters on macOS, and Vizzy on the web.

‌iOS 18‌ is currently in its second developer beta, with a public beta expected in July, followed by a general release in the fall.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...

Top Rated Comments

profets Avatar
9 months ago
That’s a nice little addition. Wish the chapter markers were visible before you started to scrub though.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonywalker23 Avatar
9 months ago
Ever so often I try to use Apple Podcasts like I did back when I synced my iPod with iTunes… when everything worked fine. Now, trillions of dollars later, instead of my devices staying in sync with a FireWire cable,

They all wirelessly act as if they are supposed to be as out of sync as possible to torture me. iPhone, 8 unplayed episodes… Mac, 30 unplayed episodes… make all of them played and start from scratch… and BOOM! old news broadcast of an hourly update from 2022.

Difference OSes, different iPads, different phones, different Macs… not a single thing has made a difference in the last few years now. It completely baffles me how an app can be so bad for me. There has to be something going on with some server somewhere with my account being not quite right. I don’t know enough about computers to know what's going on, but I wish that the same syncing in Apple Music was used in Apple Podcasts...

Apple Music: we can tell the immediate split second you hit play on your MacBook Air and we will stop your MacBook Pro from playing another half-second of your song.

Apple Podcasts: we don’t even know what year it is, here's an old episode of a podcast you have hit "mark all as played" dozens of times on, even deleting everything in your library and resubscribing won’t fix. listen to this old show from years ago while we can somehow keep mail, and finder, and reminders, and notes, and voice memos, and photos, and basically everything else synced up.

It makes Marco's 9.99 a year for Overcast such a great deal. he saves me frustration and according to the settings has saved me 470 hours of my life using smart speed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheMacDaddy1 Avatar
9 months ago
Worst podcast app ever.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chungry Avatar
9 months ago

Ever so often I try to use Apple Podcasts like I did back when I synced my iPod with iTunes… when everything worked fine. Now, trillions of dollars later, instead of my devices staying in sync with a FireWire cable,

They all wirelessly act as if they are supposed to be as out of sync as possible to torture me. iPhone, 8 unplayed episodes… Mac, 30 unplayed episodes… make all of them played and start from scratch… and BOOM! old news broadcast of an hourly update from 2022.

Difference OSes, different iPads, different phones, different Macs… not a single thing has made a difference in the last few years now. It completely baffles me how an app can be so bad for me. There has to be something going on with some server somewhere with my account being not quite right. I don’t know enough about computers to know what's going on, but I wish that the same syncing in Apple Music was used in Apple Podcasts...

Apple Music: we can tell the immediate split second you hit play on your MacBook Air and we will stop your MacBook Pro from playing another half-second of your song.

Apple Podcasts: we don’t even know what year it is, here's an old episode of a podcast you have hit "mark all as played" dozens of times on, even deleting everything in your library and resubscribing won’t fix. listen to this old show from years ago while we can somehow keep mail, and finder, and reminders, and notes, and voice memos, and photos, and basically everything else synced up.

It makes Marco's 9.99 a year for Overcast such a great deal. he saves me frustration and according to the settings has saved me 470 hours of my life using smart speed.
Apple has no business making a podcast app if all they are gonna do is half-ass it and offer a drip feed of enhancements every so often. They approach levels of not groking what a podcast player should be and what people want that is close but not quite eclipsing their institutional wonkiness with games as a medium. The fact that Marco out-Apples Apple in terms of programming prowess should concern them. If they arent gonna throw the same attention into this get out of the way and let some folks better-suited to catering to those needs step up and make some money in the space. Apple Podcasts remains a dumpster fire of inconsistency and I don’t understand why anyone would use it when so many great alternatives exist. Another example of Apple’s terrible, institutional inability to walk and chew gum.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Avery1549 Avatar
9 months ago
What about the ability to create podcasts playlists?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macvicta Avatar
9 months ago
A welcome improvement.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)