How to Download Podcasts to the iPod Touch

The iTunes software, which is necessary for syncing many programs from the computer to an iPod device, is not necessarily intuitive when it comes to downloading podcasts. In many cases, iTunes might lock up when users try to download a podcast and not everything is in place. Thus, you must make sure you have prepped your account, your computer and your iPod device for the download process before attempting to download and sync podcasts.

Things You'll Need

• Ipod device
• Ipod-to-USB cable
• Computer
• Itunes software

Instructions

1. Connect the iPod device to the computer using the USB cable. If iTunes does not open right away, open it and let it sync with the iPod. It should do this automatically.

2. Sign into your iTunes account and make sure your computer is authorized. To authorize the computer, select the "Store" button from the menu and click "Authorize Account." You'll have to sign in with your iTunes email address and password to authorize the computer. You can authorize up to three computers per account.

3. Click on the "Store button in the left hand side of the panel (not the same as the icon above), click "Podcasts," and use the search bar to look for podcasts to download. Most podcasts are currently free to subscribe to and download.

4. Click "Subscribe" below the icon of the podcast you want to listen to. Itunes will prompt you with a dialog box asking you to confirm your subscription. Click "yes" and allow iTunes to download the most recent episode. It will automatically download future episodes as they become available.

   Your podcast subscriptions will appear in the left hand panel under the Podcast Library category.

5. Sync all desired podcasts from iTunes to your iPod by left-clicking the name of your device in the left panel and navigating to the Podcasts tab at the right (different from the Podcasts library above). Check the "Sync Podcasts" button and answer "yes" to the popup dialog box. Make sure you select all desired podcasts in the list that follows, or iTunes will overwrite any existing podcasts on your iPod if they are not checked.

6. Eject your iPod and remove it from the computer.

References

• How to Sync and Download Podcasts
• How to Subscribe to Podcasts