Hello, my name is Tom Hanson and I own and operate KNVP Studios, a full-service podcasting solution company. I have noticed that sometimes, ITunes just stops updating podcast feeds out of the blue, for seemingly no reason at all. Usually, even though your podcast has been running fine over the course of several months, uninterrupted, it just stops updating in the ITunes store. Keep reading for a tool, now available directly from Apple, to help with this!
The first and probably biggest reason is that Apple likes to change things up on us as far as their specifications go related to your all-important RSS feed (the RSS feed is the heartbeat of your podcast). They were not super-diligent on updating the public about these changes, until now.
Apple has streamlined their podcast process, and has revised their procedure for submitting podcasts and have added a very useful tool to the service. More on this tool in a second. In addition, they have now created something called "Podcasts Connect", an online resource for all things related to podcast RSS feeds and Itunes. Check it out here:
At the link above, you can view the current specifications that they require. After personally reviewing the specs, as well as reading up (and keeping up) with Libsyn, our preferred podcast hosting provider, the most common reason that your podcast feed stops updating on ITunes is due to your artwork. This is more often than not, according to Libsyn. So I would like to refer you either to the above link, or check out my blog post on Podcast Artwork. One of the hidden specs that Apple doesn't really disclose, but Libsyn has stated over and over due to direct correspondence with Apple, is that your podcast artwork should not exceed 500kb in file size. So make sure to check your artwork against Apple's specs.
Now to that tool I was talking about. Apple has a new "portal" where all podcasters can log in and submit podcasts, keep track of their status, and most importantly, you can now REFRESH your feed, should it ever get stuck. So if after reading the Podcast Connect information I mentioned earlier on this post, and your are sure your podcast still meets the current specifications, you can try this:
Click here to Log In (with your AppleID and password) and refresh your podcast! Here's the direct link: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/
For complete instructions, please read this section of Podcast Connect, but it's really straight-forward and easy. Log in, click on your podcast, and look for "Refresh Feed". This will send a signal to Apple's computers to force a refresh of your feed within 24 hours (I've seen it work much faster, but give it up to 24 hours).
If you still experience problems, and you've explored the Podcast Connect document, checked your artwork, and tried the refresh, and it still won't update, then I would submit a ticket to AppleCare via email at podcastsupport@apple.com If Libsyn is your hosting provider, you can contact them here.
I hope this information helps! If you should ever need help with your podcast, please contact us here on this website, we'd be happy to speak with you.
That trick not working? Please also check out TIP #2 and TIP #3!
Happy Podcasting!
Originally posted 4/17/16. Reviewed and updated for content and relevancy 2/1/2020 - TH
