The quickest way to delete a podcast
Open the Podcasts app on your iPhone, find the show you want to remove, and swipe left on it. A red delete button appears — tap it, and the podcast is gone from your library. That's the fastest method if you just want the show off your phone right now.
If swiping doesn't work on your device, you can also tap "Edit" in the top left corner of the Podcasts app, then tap the red minus sign next to any show you want to delete. Both methods remove the podcast from your library immediately.
Key Takeaways
- Swipe left on a podcast title in the Podcasts app and tap the red delete button to remove it from your library in one motion.
- Deleting a podcast from your library does not delete episodes you have already downloaded to your phone — those stay until you remove them separately.
- To free up storage space, you need to delete individual downloaded episodes, not just the podcast itself.
- The Podcasts app and Apple Podcasts are the same thing on newer iPhones, but older devices may have a separate Podcasts app you can delete entirely.
The difference between removing a podcast and deleting episodes
When you delete a podcast from your library, you are removing the show from your list of subscriptions. The podcast itself disappears from your home screen in the Podcasts app, and you will no longer see new episodes arrive. But this does not touch any episodes you have already downloaded to your phone.
Downloaded episodes take up actual storage space on your iPhone. If you want to free up that space, you need to delete the episodes themselves, not just unsubscribe from the show. You can do this by swiping left on an individual episode and tapping delete, or by selecting multiple episodes and deleting them at once.
How to delete downloaded episodes to save storage space
Open the Podcasts app and find the show whose episodes you want to remove. Tap the show name to open it, then look for episodes with a small download icon next to them — that icon means the episode is stored on your phone.
Swipe left on any downloaded episode and tap the delete button. The episode disappears from your phone and frees up storage. If you want to delete all episodes from a show at once, tap "Edit" at the top of the episode list, select all the episodes you want to remove, and tap "Delete" in the bottom right corner.
If you delete an episode but later want to listen to it again, you can re-download it from the show's page as long as you are still subscribed to the podcast. Once you delete the podcast itself from your library, you cannot re-download its episodes without re-subscribing first.
Removing the Podcasts app entirely from your home screen
If you do not use podcasts at all and want to remove the app from your iPhone, you can delete it like any other app. Press and hold the Podcasts app icon on your home screen, then tap "Remove App" and confirm. The app disappears from your phone, though you can always re-download it later from the App Store for free.
Deleting the Podcasts app also removes any podcasts you had subscribed to and any episodes you had downloaded. If you reinstall the app later, your subscriptions will not come back — you will have to re-subscribe to shows you want to follow again.
What happens to your podcast subscriptions when you delete the app
Your podcast subscriptions are tied to your Apple ID, not to the app itself. If you delete the Podcasts app and reinstall it later, your subscriptions do not automatically return. You will see a blank library and have to manually re-subscribe to each show.
If you want to keep your subscriptions but just clean up your library, do not delete the app. Instead, delete individual podcasts from your library using the swipe-left method. Your subscriptions stay in your Apple ID account, so if you reinstall the app on a different device, those shows will appear in your library there.
Syncing podcast deletions across your devices
If you delete a podcast from your iPhone, it does not automatically disappear from your iPad or Mac. Each device has its own separate podcast library, even though they all use the same Apple ID. You will need to delete the podcast on each device individually if you want it gone everywhere.
Downloaded episodes also do not sync across devices. If you download a podcast episode on your iPhone, it stays only on your iPhone. You cannot listen to it on your iPad unless you download it there too. This means deleting an episode from your iPhone does not affect what you have downloaded on other devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting a podcast delete all my downloaded episodes at once?
No. Deleting a podcast from your library only removes the show from your subscriptions. Downloaded episodes stay on your phone until you delete them separately. You need to delete the episodes themselves to free up storage space.
Can I recover a podcast I deleted by mistake?
Yes. If you deleted the podcast but not the episodes, you can re-subscribe to the show and your downloaded episodes will appear again. If you deleted both the podcast and its episodes, you can re-subscribe and re-download them from the show's page.
Does deleting podcasts from my iPhone affect my iPad?
No. Your iPhone and iPad have separate podcast libraries even though they use the same Apple ID. Deleting a podcast on your iPhone does not remove it from your iPad. You must delete it on each device separately.
What if I want to keep a podcast but delete just one episode?
Open the podcast, find the episode you want to remove, swipe left on it, and tap delete. The episode disappears from your phone, but the podcast stays in your library and you will still receive new episodes.
Can I delete multiple podcasts at the same time?
Yes. Tap "Edit" in the top left corner of the Podcasts app, then tap the red minus sign next to each podcast you want to delete. Tap "Done" when you finish, and all selected podcasts are removed from your library at once.