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Lock Show Order of Followed Podcasts

Someone, help me. Please.

This issue occurs on my MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iPhone 13 ProMax, and Watch Series 8.

All are running the most up-to-date iOS version.

Thank You.


I listen to podcasts in a very specific order. When following a pod, I typically 'place it' into the 'pod grid' in 'shows' where I wish to hear it in 'station playback' regularly. I work 10 hours a day in isolation and follow close to 300 pods.. For better or worse, this has become my sanity saver. I like the convenience of pulling up my 'work' station and knowing any new episodes will be funneled in, in my specific, desired order. It's been wonderful. Until it wasn't.


Recently, my followed shows have begun to reorder themselves - LITERALLY AS I'M REARRANGING THEM.

It's like some virtual mahjong game that I'm having no fun playing. They are not reordering into alphabetical nor date followed order. Not in most recently released nor episode length order. Just random as far as I can deduce.


I am NOT saying the episodes are shifting. This is the actual podcast listing in my "Library" -> "Shows" list.

Yes, I have created a station for the pods HOWEVER episodes drop in, in the order of the "shows" in the "library."

I do not wish to manually rearrange new episodes within the station each time, nor do I have the benefit of time to do so.


Please.

There must be a way to "lock" the order of the followed shows in the library.

I don't want to go back to another third-party podfeed.

This is seriously making me question my Apple loyalty. Green messages might not be a bad thing after all.

Thank you for any assistance in correcting this very frustrating issue.

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 17

Posted on Aug 25, 2024 8:32 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 27, 2024 12:24 AM

Still no resolution. This issue has worsened with the latest iOS update.


Anyone have a good recommendation for a podplayer



[Edited by Moderator]

3 replies

Nov 4, 2024 7:24 AM in response to debkwebr

I too work in isolation, and listen solidly to podcasts. Not subscribed to quite as many as you, but definitely into three figures.


And recently I have experienced something similar (latest iTunes on Win11, used with an iPod Nano gen 6 for hands-free convenience). Podcasts are ordered as I desire via smart playlists, and this is replicated on the iPod config. But actually on the iPod, they're now all over the place within the playlist, even if I "copy to play order".


Something I have realised is that where I used to have the default podcast settings on play oldest to newest, that global option's now gone altogether. And each podcast feed has to be configured individually. Some are still on oldest to newest, but some - many of which I've been subscribed to for just as long - are now newest to oldest. I'm now painfully checking and adjusting each feed, and there's apparently no keyboard shortcut for opening that setting dialog. Joy.


I will keep plugging away and come back when I'm done to tell you if it's worked. In return, if you find a functional alternative, please let me know too!

Nov 4, 2024 8:37 AM in response to EBGBee

Update: I've set every podcast feed individually to play old > new.

Smart playlist was always ordered to select by least recently added, with "Date Added" column in ascending order.


Sync.

Order on iPod now (im)perfectly ordered new > old.


Switched "Date Added" column to descending order, resynced iPod.


We now have the "smart" playlist displaying the podcasts in the right order on the iPod. Hurrah!

Question is, will that last beyond another sync? And might it work for you?

Lock Show Order of Followed Podcasts

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