Q: Can you delete a podcast completely in the Podcast app? I’ve deleted them successfully from iTunes, but they still show up in my Podcast app. It’s driving me nuts. I love the Podcast app graphics, but it’s frustrating to work with sometimes.
– Anonymous
A: If you’re using automatic synchronization with your iTunes library, removing podcasts from iTunes should normally remove them from your iOS device during the next synchronization.
However, it’s also important to make sure that all traces of the podcast have in fact been removed from your iTunes library, as it’s not uncommon to occasionally have individual episodes hiding outside the podcast subscription for various reasons. See Tracking down phantom Podcasts in iTunes for more information on how to deal with this.
Further, if you’ve subscribed to a Podcast from within the Podcasts app on your iOS device—either by initially adding it there or by enabling the “Subscription” option in the Podcast settings—it will persist on the device even after you’ve removed it from iTunes, since in this case the Podcasts app is considered the primary source of that Podcasts.
Regardless, you can remove any individual podcasts you don’t want in the Podcasts app simply by swiping to the top of the main podcast listing page; this will reveal a hidden toolbar at the top of the screen with options for editing, searching and changing between a grid or list view. Simply tap the “Edit” button and a deletion indicator will appear beside each podcast—a small “x” in the top corner of each cover in grid view, or the standard deletion symbol if you’re working in list view.
