iOS 26.2 includes three helpful upgrades to Apple Podcasts app

Apple is upgrading its built-in Podcasts app with three changes starting with iOS 26.2. The upgrades include two new features and a major enhancement to an existing feature.

First, Apple is automatically generating podcast episode chapters for the first time.

Apple already displayed and supported chapter markers within episodes. However, podcast producers have needed to manually create podcast chapter titles and timestamps.

According to Apple, Podcasts in iOS 26.2 lets you “easily navigate more episodes with automatically created chapters.”

We’ll have to give this feature some time to settle before determining when and how well it works.

Second, Apple is improving how it handles podcast discovery through word-of-mouth.

Starting with iOS 26.2, Apple Podcasts will include the ability to “see and follow mentioned podcasts right from the player and transcript.”

This is especially handy for listeners who want to check out a referenced podcast show or episode without searching for a link. If the feature works as advertised, it will put the referenced podcast link right where you need it in the moment.

Lastly, Apple is tackling another challenging problem for podcasters and podcast listeners alike. While it’s common to hear about “links in the show notes” during podcast episodes, actually viewing these links in the right format can be challenging.

Apple is taking on that challenge with its new From This Episode feature. Apple says it will allow users to “quickly access the links shared in a podcast on the episode page.”

For now, the feature appears to have limited support, but it’s just the first beta release as of today.

We’ll keep an eye on each of these features throughout the iOS 26.2 beta period and report back with more details.