iOS

Make Sure Your Podcast Is Ready For iOS 8

~ shawn ~ 2 Comments

iOS 8 LogoiOS 8, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, the software that powers all iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads will be released today. Apple’s proprietary Podcasts app will be automatically bundled with iOS 8. (Previously, users had to manually add the Podcasts app to their devices.) This means a whole new crop of users will be exposed to the app, and potentially exposed to podcasting for the first time. Make sure your show is easy to find and subscribe to within Apple’s podcasting ecosystem with these tips.

Ensure your podcast is discoverable in the iTunes directory: In order for your podcast to be listed in the iTunes Store (and in turn the Podcasts app), the iTunes-specific tags in your RSS feed must be properly configured. It’s likely that they were correct when you first submitted your show to iTunes. But sometimes, moving web hosts, changing publishing platforms or just random, unexplainable things can alter your RSS feed. And while your feed is still technically working with iTunes, details such as keywords or episode descriptions may have been lost. If your show is currently listed in the iTunes Store, take a look at its listing. Is the show album art up to date (current recommended spec is 1400×1400 pixels)? Is your show’s description still accurate? Are your show titles displaying correctly? If anything looks incorrect, check the iTunes tags in your RSS feed and make the necessary fixes.

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Mixlr Releases Beta App For Android, iOS Update

~ shawn ~ 1 Comment

Mixlr LogoAudio-streaming service Mixlr, used by many podcasters for live broadcasts, is making some news on the mobile front. The company has released a beta version of an Android app and Mixlr has also updated its iOS app.

These Mixlr apps allow for broadcasting directly from mobile devices and they also allow users to listen to streams created thru Mixlr. The new Android app is particularly exciting as there aren’t many of these types of apps yet on that platform. From the Mixlr blog:

“Broadcast high-quality live audio from all your mobile devices. Just like our other apps, you can also record your live broadcast and save it to your showreel to share and listen back to later.

Listen to all your favourite Mixlr live broadcasters on the go. We’ll also send you push notifications when a broadcaster you follow goes live, so you’ll never miss another Mixlr. You can also follow other Mixlr users from right inside the app.”

Mixlr is stressing that the Android app is in beta and that they’re looking for feedback and bug reports from users. The company has also stated that they’ll soon be adding chat functionality to the Android app and they’re also hoping to make the app compatible with older versions of the Android operating system.

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iOS Podcasting App Bossjock Is Half-Price This Weekend Only

~ shawn

Bossjock LogoIn honor of this weekend’s Podcast Movement conference, app developer Bossjock Studio is selling its mobile podcast-production app Bossjock at half-price. Normally, the app retails for right around $10.00. Until Monday, the app will go for $4.99. The company made the announcement yesterday via Twitter:

Bossjock is a top-rated app for producing podcasts on iOS. It’s a full-featured suite of tools that does everything from voice recording (with optional live sound-clip playback) to upload of your finished media to a variety of publishing platforms.

For some examples of Bossjock’s capabilities, take a look at this “Frankenskype” article on how you can use Bossjock to record Skype calls with minimal equipment. You can also see a full-fledged review of Bossjock (including videos) at the School of Podcasting.

Posted by Shawn Thorpe

Skype “Retiring” Older Versions

~ shawn ~ 2 Comments

Skype LogoI received an e-mail today from Skype that read:

“We are now retiring older versions of Skype and it appears that you’re currently using one of these. To continue signing into Skype on your mobile or tablet, you’ll need to download the latest version. The new version comes with improved performance, the latest features and security updates, so you’ll get the best possible Skype experience.”

I hadn’t ever received an e-mail like this before from Skype. And usually, when iOS apps are updated, the process is pretty much automatic thru the App Store. I decided to investigate further. I launched iTunes and looked at apps I’d already downloaded. I saw that the Skype for iPad app (the only version I’m currently using) didn’t indicate an update was available. I looked at the listing for the Skype iPhone app in the App Store and saw that there was a new version of that app released earlier this month. I’m assuming that I received the e-mail because I had downloaded Skype for iPhone in the past, but I no longer own an iPhone, and I guess Skype somehow knew that I hadn’t downloaded the latest version of the iPhone app, and that’s what triggered the e-mail.

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