When sharing a podcast link with friends, sometimes you just want them to listen to a specific snippet instead of an entire 3-hour long episode. To make this easier, Apple Podcasts has added a new feature in iOS 18. Now, the app allows you to share timestamped links, so the person opening the link can start listening right from a specific moment.
This feature has long been on video streaming platforms such as YouTube, and even on third-party podcast apps such as Overcast. It's good to see Apple bringing it to the stock Podcasts app, since that's one of the most popular ways for people to listen to podcasts on their iPhone.
Sharing timestamped podcast links is easy, but first you'll need to install the iOS 18 beta using the instructions here. If you have a backup device, it's best to install it there so you don't introduce instability to your main phone.
With iOS 18 installed, open the Podcasts app and play the episode you want to share. The episode will appear in the mini player towards the bottom of the screen. Tap the mini player to expand it, then hit the three-dots icon to the right of the episode's name. Tap Share Episode… to see the share sheet. At the top of the share sheet, select From Start to see the option to share timestamped podcast links. You'll see two options: From Start and From [wherever you are in the podcast]. The second option automatically picks up the time stamp where you hit the share button. Select it to get a sharable timestamped link.
The good news is that timestamped links work with older versions of iOS and macOS. You can share these links with people on devices that haven't been updated and they will still be able to play the episode from the timestamp you've set.
Timestamped podcast links have a few other quirks that are worth noting. Podcasts doesn't allow you to manually choose a timestamp for sharing, i.e. by typing it in. You'll have to seek to the time you want to share, pause the podcast, and hit the Share button to choose a timestamp. This is slightly inconvenient, and the hope is that Apple lets you manually type the timestamp in the future for greater flexibility.
Timestamps will also update while you're in the Share screen. If you hit the Share button while playing an episode and wait a few minutes on the screen while the podcast plays, the app will automatically share a link with the current timestamp. For example, if you hit the Share button while at 2:20 in the podcast, then wait until 7:30 before tapping the From 2:20 button, Podcasts will share a link timestamped for 7:30.
