Why Did My Podcast Get Rejected by Apple Podcasts (iTunes)

If your podcast does not appear in iTunes or your new published episodes are not updated in Apple Podcasts (iTunes), please do the following:

1. Verify your feed on castfeedvalidator.com and make sure your feed is valid.

2. Submit your feed to Apple Podcasts (iTunes). If Apple Podcasts (iTunes) shows the feed has been submitted, please be patient.  Apple Podcasts (iTunes) will usually update your feed within a couple of days.

3. If the feed is still denied by Apple Podcasts (iTunes) when the feed is valid, you'll need to contact Apple Podcasts(iTunes) to check the issue.

4. If you switch your podcast from another platform and want to keep the previous existing Apple Podcast link, you'll need to update the feed on your Apple podcasts settings to show all your new published episodes. Please refer to Apple Podcasts' guidance to do that:

https://help.apple.com/itc/podcasts_connect/#/itca489031e0

1. Verify your feed at https://castfeedvalidator.com/ and make sure that your feed is valid. Then iTunes should update the episodes within days.

2. If the feed is valid, but still not all episodes display, it is quite possible that the episode number set in your feed is smaller than the total episode number.

You can change the episode number in the feed in the Settings->Feed> Advanced Feed Settings page in your Podbean account. Then Apple Podcast (iTunes) will update your feed within days.

Please kindly note that Apple Podcasts (iTunes) only supports displaying up to 300 episodes. 

If your episode logos do not appear in iTunes, please follow these steps:

1. Verify Your Feed Status:
   Even though you’ve submitted your podcast feed to Apple Podcasts, there is still a possibility that your podcast feed will become invalid because of some changes you made to your podcast. You can check your podcast feed using Cast Feed Validator. Ensure that your feed is valid.
   
   
2. Check Your Episode Logo Size:
   Apple Podcasts requires episode artwork to be between 1400 x 1400 and 3000 x 3000 pixels in JPEG or PNG format. It is recommended to use the largest size within this range. 

   
   

   For artwork changes, ensure the new image has a different filename and that it meets Apple Podcasts' artwork requirements.

If you’ve completed the above steps, search for or select your show in Apple Podcasts Connect, then select Refresh Feed.

If these changes are still not processed after selecting Refresh Feed, please contact Apple Podcasts for further assistance.

Apple can fail, reject, or remove your podcast from Apple Podcasts for a variety of reasons.

Here are some common issues that cause podcasts to be rejected by iTunes:

• No episode published yet. You need to publish at least one episode with valid audio/video to be accepted by iTunes.

• The language set in the feed doesn’t match the one used.
  
  
• Artwork with incorrect specs. Apple requires Podcast feeds contain artwork that is a minimum size of 1400 x 1400 pixels and a maximum size of 3000 x 3000 pixels, 72 dpi, in JPEG or PNG format with appropriate file extensions (.jpg, .png), and in the RGB colorspace. If the file name contains an extra period (e.g. myart.V1.jpeg) it will fail validation. Only letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores are permitted in the file name.
  
  
• Please refer to here on how to resize and compress your podcast logo.
  
  
• Explicit language without setting the <explicit> tag to yes, explicit, or true.
  
  
• Content that could be construed as racist, misogynist, or homophobic.
  
  
• Explicit or self-censored explicit language in titles, subtitles, or descriptions.
  
  
• References to illegal drugs, profanity, or violence in the title, description, artwork, or episodes.
  
  
• Content depicting graphic sex, violence, gore, illegal drugs, or hate themes.
  
  
• Third-party content or trademarks without legal authorization or usage rights.
  
  
• Content considered spam: recently Apple has been rejecting podcasts containing keywords in the title and author tags. They want these fields to be reserved strictly for the title and author, without adding keywords or ancillary information.

You can test your podcast’s technical aspects with the following steps which are recommended by Apple:

• Open iTunes, choose File > Subscribe to Podcast, enter your RSS feed URL in the text box, then click OK. If you can successfully download and play the episode, then your podcast is working and you can submit it to Apple Podcasts.

If you are not sure why Apple has rejected your podcast, you can email Apple Support for more information. Go to https://itunespartner.apple.com/en/podcasts/overview and click the 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of the page. 

Once you have submitted your podcast to (Apple Podcasts) iTunes, the amount of time until it will be available depends on the Apple Podcasts (iTunes) review process. 

You can check the status of your submission in Podcasts Connect. If there are any errors or you have been rejected, please check the problem and resubmit. You can see a list of reasons for being rejected or removed here.  (Validation errors can occur for a number of reasons such as “mismatched tags, artwork that does not meet the minimum requirements or unescaped ampersands”. Podcasts Connect displays validation errors at the top of the new podcast page.)

Once your podcast is reviewed and approved by Apple, you will receive a confirmation email. It indicates your submission review is complete. It also includes the link to your active podcast. The podcast link is live on the iTunes Store shortly after the email is sent. Your podcast is not searchable in the iTunes Store until it is indexed, which can take up to 24 hours.

1. According to Apple Podcasts (iTunes) instructions on how to test a podcast, you can test your Podbean podcast feed to see if it works for Apple podcasts (iTunes).

2. If you can download your podcast in iTunes and can pass the verification of  the feed validator,  your feed is fine.

If you use a Podbean domain, you don’t need to do anything. We’ve handled the migration for you, so you’ll have no worries about Apple’s new requirements. You’ll notice your site/feed are now https.

If you use your own domain, Podbean will provide a free SSL certificate and ensure you’re automatically migrated to a secure feed. You need to follow these steps to set up your own domain with SSL certification in Podbean if you haven’t already.

If you have any questions, contact us at help.podbean.com.