Automatic Links and Chapters: A Deep Dive into Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts is set to introduce new features that will enhance the listening experience for both creators and listeners. One of the upcoming features includes automatically-generated chapters for shows in English. Additionally, creators will have the ability to insert links at specific timestamps within their episodes.

Creators will have the option to opt-out of these new features if they prefer. Automatically-generated chapters will only be created when creators do not add their own. To distinguish between user-created and auto-generated chapters, the latter will be clearly labeled above the episode’s chapter list. This feature is similar to the one introduced by Spotify earlier this year.

Another exciting addition is the timed links feature, allowing creators to include links to various Apple services such as Apple Music, Apple News, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. These links can be timestamped to appear at specific moments during the episode. When a listener reaches the designated timestamp, the link will appear in a banner on the Now Playing screen, as well as in the transcript and episode details page.