Techstravaganza for Wednesday, Oct 15, 2025

Podcast Player Tutorial Overview

The Techstravaganza session focused on beginning a tutorial series about podcast players, starting with the Apple Podcasts app on iPhone. Siena Trigiani led the tutorial, highlighting new features including enhanced dialogue, adjustable playback speeds, and browsing options. Ali announced that the workshop format would remain unchanged and that future sessions would be available on various podcasting platforms.

Apple Podcast Interface Features

Siena demonstrated various features of Apple’s podcast interface, including algorithmic recommendations, popular shows, and news updates, while Ali provided the Apple Accessibility phone number. They explored different podcast categories including technology, music, business, and culture, with Siena highlighting several interesting podcasts including “Happy Enough Happiness” and “If Objects Could Talk.” The discussion focused on how the Apple algorithm personalizes podcast recommendations based on user listening habits, with Siena noting that the interface shows both free and subscriber-only content.

Apple Podcasts Search Tutorial

Siena provided a tutorial on using the Apple Podcasts app, focusing on the Home and Search tabs. She demonstrated how to search for podcasts, including the new location of the search field in iOS 16, which has moved to the bottom right corner. Siena also explained how to use the adjustable slider to filter search results by top results, shows, episodes, channels, and categories.

Podcast Management on Mobile Devices

Siena demonstrated how to search for and follow podcasts on a mobile device, showing features like following shows, activating episodes, and managing automatic downloads. She explained that the best way to check if a podcast is being followed is to double-tap and activate it. Scott asked about the recommended number of podcast episodes to listen to daily, and Siena suggested listening to one episode per day or creating a playlist of different podcasts for evening listening. Ali and Scott briefly discussed keeping up with sports podcasts and missed news updates.

Podcast Discovery Techniques Explained

The group discussed finding podcasts, with Palmer recommending The Simply Space and Astrum, though neither was found in Apple Podcasts. Siena demonstrated how to search for podcasts in the Apple Podcasts app, including finding and following the “Teach Me How to Adult” podcast by Jillian Berner. They explored various search techniques and discussed the differences between YouTube and podcast platforms for discovering content.

iOS Podcast Navigation with Magic Tap

Siena demonstrated how to listen to podcasts using the iOS VoiceOver screen reader, including navigation between episodes and the use of the Magic Tap feature. Ali provided clarification on how to access and configure the Magic Tap settings in the Commands menu. They discussed the new iOS 2026 update that allows Magic Tap to only answer and end calls, rather than controlling media playback to prevent unintended interactions. The session concluded with plans to cover the podcast library and browsing features in the next meeting.

Podcast Navigation and Updates

Siena demonstrated how to navigate and use the Apple Podcasts app, including searching for shows, following podcasts, and accessing account settings. She highlighted specific shows she follows, such as Apple Events Audio and Ali and Macara’s Books, and mentioned that she listens to some podcasts on YouTube as well. Scott announced his podcast, Weekly In Sports, would release its October show soon. Siena expressed excitement about an upcoming book discussion on the Books Panel podcast and mentioned she had started reading “Stop Saying You’re Fine” by Mel Robbins.

Book Discussion and Podcast Tips

The group discussed the book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon, sharing their thoughts on its plot, characters, and themes related to autism. They also talked about podcast listening habits, including strategies for skipping ads and the differences between platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Max shared a tip for fast-forwarding and rewinding podcasts by 60 seconds to skip ads. The conversation concluded with Ashlyn mentioning a new book she started, “The War of the Whales,” and Ali suggesting it could be a topic for their upcoming show.

Upcoming Events and App Tutorial

The group discussed upcoming events and content, including a books Panel, Ali and Macara’s Books and the Broadcast Map Show. They encouraged listeners to join live streams early for interactive elements and surprises. Siena announced that next week’s session will be earlier than usual, running from 12:30 to 2:30 PM Eastern. The group also discussed the iCatcher app, which is a one-time purchase with optional tips, and they planned to demonstrate it in a tutorial next week.