Apple announces 'Delegated Delivery' integration with third-party podcast hosts

Podcasts on iPhone 11 Pro (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Delegated Delivery will allow podcasters to store files on a hosting service but feed them into Apple Podcasts.
Creatives will still be able to share free and premium content as well as bonus material, exclusive episodes, and more.

Apple has today announced Apple Podcasts Delegated Delivery, a new option that will allow podcasters to link their hosting providers and allow them to serve content on their behalf. The feature will support both free and premium shows as well as multiple notable features.

Along with being able to upload both free and premium episodes, Apple says that podcasters will be able to enjoy the ability to release content exclusive and via early access not to mention bonus and ad-free episodes in WAV, FLAC, and MP3 formats. The files will be served by one of a handful of supported hosting providers and then ingested into the Apple Podcasts system.

Apple Podcasts Delegated Delivery will be available this fall.

When Delegated Delivery launches this fall, creators will be able to authorize a participating hosting provider to deliver free and premium episodes to Apple Podcasts on their behalf. Once authorized, creators can simply use the dashboard offered by their participating hosting provider to publish new free and premium episodes. This includes the ability to schedule the release of exclusive, early access, bonus, and ad-free content using WAV, FLAC, and MP3 files.

The compatible podcast hosts are:

Acast
ART19
Blubrry
Buzzsprout
Libsyn
Omny Studio
RSS.com

Creators who want to learn more about the ins and outs of Delegated Delivery or have questions, a new FAQ has been shared and can be read on the Apple Podcasts website.

Today's news comes alongside an announcement that podcasters can now offer annual subscription options, too.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.