How transcripts in Apple Podcasts are a time-saving killer characteristic

There is no such thing as a scarcity of nice third-party podcast purchasers on the App Retailer, akin to Castro, Overcast, and Pocket Casts. However when Apple Podcasts launched transcripts in iOS 17.4, the app instantly received me over.

Podcast transcripts are a implausible characteristic for all types of customers. For Deaf customers there’s a transparent profit, since content material that was beforehand restricted to audio abruptly turned accessible in written type. For researchers attempting to rapidly discover key information, transcript search is a useful software.

For me although, the most important win with podcast transcripts has been their capability to save lots of me important time by filtering down the content material to solely what I really need to hear.

Getting time again within the consideration financial system

We dwell in an age the place media content material is plentiful, however consumer consideration is scarce. That is true with streaming TV reveals and films, music, and definitely with podcasts too.

Podcasts particularly tend to stretch on and canopy a wide range of subjects inside a single episode. Traditionally, one of the best ways I’ve managed to filter down episodes to solely the bits I’m taken with is thru chapters. Podcasts that assist chapters have lengthy been a time-saving gem, offering the chance to eat extra of the content material I take pleasure in whereas simply skipping previous something I discover much less attention-grabbing.

The issue is that almost all podcasts—particularly these outdoors the Apple tech sphere— don’t assist chapters.

That’s why Apple Podcasts’ new auto-generated transcripts have turn out to be a killer characteristic for me.

Transcripts in Apple’s Podcasts app are straightforward to view with the easy faucet of a button, and you’ll seamlessly scroll by an hours-long present’s full contents to rapidly bounce to the phase you’re taken with. I’ve gotten within the behavior of doing this with each podcast I take heed to that doesn’t supply chapters. It’s really easy to get a sneak peek of what’s coming, even whereas an episode’s nonetheless enjoying, and faucet to leap to a extra compelling part. This in the end saves a ton of listening time.

There have been moments after I’ve even scrolled by a podcast’s full transcript solely to search out the entire episode is price skipping. Not essentially as a result of it isn’t “good,” however fairly as a result of I’m simply not . Both approach, the tip result’s that I’ve extra time to spend on one other podcast or audiobook I’ll take pleasure in extra.

With an limitless provide of audio content material being created on a regular basis, my tolerance for the not-so-interesting is at a minimal. Even when scanning a transcript solely finally ends up saving me a handful of minutes per podcast, I really feel good understanding that I’m spending my time on solely the hyper-curated issues I count on to take pleasure in.

What do you consider Apple Podcasts’ transcript characteristic? Have you ever discovered it a helpful timesaver?

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