Spotify just made it a whole lot easier to stay on top of your favorite podcasts—and discover new ones along the way. In a bid to streamline the podcast experience on mobile, the streaming giant rolled out a suite of updates on May 28, 2025, that caters to both listeners and creators alike. From a dedicated Following feed to in-app recommendations and deeper engagement tools, here’s the lowdown on what’s new, why it matters, and how it stacks up against the competition.

If you’ve ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through Spotify just to find the latest episode of a show you love, you’re not alone. In a blog post announcing the changes, Spotify conceded that finding the latest episodes of podcasts you follow has proved to be challenging on its app. Enter the Following feed—a centralized place within your main Podcast feed on the Home screen that collates every new release from the podcasts you follow.

Rather than hopping between “Your Library,” various playlists, or the search tab, users can now tap the Podcasts button at the top of the app, then switch to “Following” to catch up on unplayed episodes in one clean, chronological stream. Spotify says this update “gives you a dedicated place to catch all the latest releases from the podcasts you follow—all in one easy-to-access feed within your main Podcast feed on Home.” The feature is rolling out globally on both iOS and Android over the coming weeks.

Discovery is half the fun of podcasting—especially when you’re in the mood to explore beyond your usual rotation. To that end, Spotify is embedding personalized podcast and video-podcast recommendations right into your Home feed, just below your shortcuts. These suggestions appear as playable or savable cards, making it frictionless to dive into something new without leaving the app’s main screen.

What’s more, Spotify may include a “quick note” explaining why a podcast was recommended—think: “because you listened to X” or “fans of Y also like this.” Those little nudges are designed to make bold picks feel more accessible and less random, a feature Spotify believes will boost listener confidence when sampling unfamiliar shows.

Spotify isn’t just catering to listeners. It’s also arming podcast creators with enhanced engagement and promotional features:

• “In this episode” section: Rolling out soon, this segment on episode pages lets hosts link directly to any Spotify content they mention—be it another podcast episode, a song, an audiobook, or a playlist. That means if your favorite true-crime host talks about a haunting soundtrack, you can save it for later without missing a beat.
• Threaded replies & emoji reactions: Creators can now respond to listener comments in threads and react with emojis, all managed through their Spotify for Creators dashboard. This layered comment system aims to foster more meaningful conversations between fans and hosts, though creators remain in control—they can moderate or opt out entirely on a per-show or per-episode basis.

These additions come at a time when Spotify is doubling down on its role as a creator-friendly platform—remember its video podcast monetization program launched earlier this year? By giving creators both promotional and community-building tools, Spotify hopes to keep talent engaged on its platform rather than migrating to rivals.

Despite its podcasting ambitions, Spotify still trails YouTube in the U.S.; about one-third of weekly podcast listeners name YouTube their go-to destination. Apple Podcasts, meanwhile, continues to be a default choice on iPhones despite lacking some of these social features.

• YouTube leans heavily into video podcasts, offering weekly top-podcast charts and seamless monetization for creators via its Partner Program.
• Apple Podcasts boasts tight integration with iOS and exclusive deals (think: blockbuster shows), but it doesn’t yet offer threaded comments or a dedicated Following feed.
• Spotify bridges both worlds—audio and video—while layering in social and discovery tools directly on its Home screen.

The new features may not dramatically shift listener habits overnight, but they signal Spotify’s intent to carve out a distinctive, interactive podcast ecosystem that rivals haven’t fully matched.

Spotify’s podcast push continues. Beyond Following feeds and in-app recs, the company hints at more robust analytics, deeper playlist integration, and AI-driven summaries to help you catch up when you miss an episode. If those features land, Spotify could further solidify its place as a one-stop shop for audio entertainment.

For now, the latest updates roll out globally throughout early June 2025. So fire up your Spotify app, tap “Following,” and discover whether these podcast enhancements hit the right note—or if you’ll be waiting for Spotify’s next verse.