German podcast fans can now listen via Apple Podcasts on their Alexa kit

Amazon Echo 3rd Gen (Image credit: Jeramy Johnson / iMore)

What you need to know

Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices in Germany now support Apple Podcasts.
The same feature has been available in the United States for a while.
Your podcasts are just a simple request away.

Update, October 8 (12:00 pm ET) Mr. Bader of Android Central fame tells me this is now working in Canadia land, too!

People in Germany can now take advantage of Apple Podcasts integration within Amazon's Echo and Fire TV devices. Following the same feature becoming available in the United States, German users can now listen to their Apple Podcasts library without having to touch their iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Spotted by Macerkopf, the feature requires users to link their Amazon device with their Apple ID but once that's done, the usual voice commands will do the trick.

Here are a few examples to help you get started

"Alexa, play Steingart's Morning Briefing from Apple Podcasts."
"Alexa, fast forward 30 seconds."
"Alexa, play crime podcast from Apple Podcasts.
"Alexa, next episode."
"Alexa, play WDR radio play memory from Apple Podcasts."

The Alexa app will also let users set Apple Podcasts ad their default podcast app if that's something they're into. From that point on Alexa will use Apple Podcasts when a podcast is requested. Assuming it's available via Apple's directory, of course.

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.