Anchor is offering the “easiest way to make a podcast, ever” in its newest release. You can now record and post and publish your podcast on major podcast outlets right through Anchor.

In the newest release, Anchor becomes the only platform where you can publish to major podcast outlets like Apple Podcasts and Google Play Music with a single tap of a button on your phone. Available today for iOS and Android, – it’s 100% free, entirely mobile, and so easy to use that literally anyone can make a podcast now.

In the blog post, Anchor explains their motivation. “One of the most common things we hear from people is that they want their Anchor station to be discoverable as an actual podcast.” This new release makes that possible. To quote Anchor’s blog post: “Unfamiliar with RSS? Cool, let’s keep it that way.”

It seems to me that Anchor is aiming at people who are brand new to podcasting and who do not yet have the technical knowledge to record, edit, post, and submit their episodes themselves. Or, it might be for super busy people who want to make a quick podcast and not have to spend time with the technical aspects of podcasting.

Anchor says that it makes recording and sharing audio as simple as talking on the telephone. It suggests you can use their platform to capture your own voice, take call-ins from listeners, conduct remote interviews with anyone, or broadcast full length songs from Apple Music or Spotify.

When your episode is done, and you are happy with it – you can post your podcast in one tap to your Anchor station. Anchor will take care of submission and distribution to Apple Podcasts and Google Play for you.

To me, it seems that Anchor just made podcasting super easy for new people to try. It lets people focus on creating without having to take the time to learn how the technology aspects work, to learn how to edit, or to figure out what an RSS feed is.

On the other hand… some of this makes me cringe. As a person who has done music podcasting in the past, I worry about the legality of broadcasting full length songs from Apple Music or Spotify. It is unclear to me how someone who podcasts on Anchor would know if a song was released under creative commons, released under public domain, or if it was owned by a record label. Hopefully, Anchor has worked out the details and permissions for that behind the scenes.

I’m also cringing about what the quality of the audio might be like. I’ve listened to podcasts on Blog Talk Radio, and while the content may be interesting, I found the audio lacking. Anchor is designed to be recorded on your phone.

And, as always, there is a risk to having all of your creative content located entirely on a platform that you do not own. There have been situations in the past where podcasters woke up one day to learn that their hosting service shut down and disappeared without warning – along with all the content they posted on it.

Anchor has unveiled version 2.0 of the Anchor platform. It is an improved version of the original Anchor platform.

The new Anchor lets you broadcast your voice, clip external sound bites, mix in full length tracks from Apple Music and Spotify, take call-ins from your listeners, add interludes created by world class sound designers and musicians, all from your phone. Plus, everything on the new Anchor can be heard on iOS, Android, Amazon Echo, Google Home, web, and in your car via Bluetooth.

Anchor 1.0 was launched a little over a year ago. It combined easy production, social networking, and a new way to distribute audio. People from nearly 200 countries used Anchor 1.0 to record audio daily. Some were going to great lengths to pull in external music and audio clips, to do interviews, and to make sure the story they wanted to tell could be heard how they wanted it to be heard.

In the new Anchor, everyone has a station. It is a place for you to broadcast a stream of bite-sized audio. Anchor 2.0 still includes the ability for people to record audio by holding their phone to their ear – and then edit that recorded audio with high quality background music. Anchor 2.0 includes a brand new set of production tools that make it easier to make content.

Here are a few features in Anchor 2.0:

Add External Clips: You can pull external clips into your station to showcase news, quotes, and soundbites, and then add your own perspective to it. It was possible to do this in Anchor 1.0, but is seamless in Anchor 2.0.

Mix in Full Songs from Apple Music or Spotify: DJ a real music station by mixing in songs and then add commentary to tell your listeners more about the songs and the artists who made them.

Take Call-Ins from Your Listeners: Anchor 1.0 allowed people to leave audio replies for other Anchor users. Anchor 2.0 adds the ability to curate those replies for a much better listening experience.

High Quality Interludes: Anchor 2.0 includes segments designed by world-class musicians and sound designers. You can use them to transition segments in your show.

Anchor 2.0 has something new called Dial. Use it to find Anchor Stations from companies like Gizmodo, Jezebel, Lifehacker, WNYC, The Outline, The Infatuation, IGN, Backchannel, Big Beat Records and JASH. The Anchor Rundown is a personalized, A.I. Powered station that is designed just for you. It features up to the minute news and weather powered by Dark Sky.

Anchor 2.0 instantly converts all recorded audio into rich, colorful videos that play seamlessly on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms that support video. Anchor 2.0 is now available for download for iOS and Android, and can be listened to on Amazon Echo on your Google Home.