Apple podcasts displays my episodes in random order

[JuleKucera]

Last Friday I learned that for non-subscribers (AKA non-followers), my most recent podcast episode that Apple Podcasts displayed was from last November.

I’ve since deleted all the hyperlinks from every episode, and now all the episodes appear, but in random order. The person who was helping me in the Apple community forum (Roger Wilmut1, a level 10 helper!) said this:

“…the preview web page and subscribing on a Mac show the episodes in the correct order: the feed is correct, with the PubDate and Episode tage correctly entered, so I’m afraid I have no idea what is going on with the phones: it’s irrational.”

I unfollowed my own podcast so I could see what most people see. When I search, I see this:

And I need to scroll down a ways to find the most current epiode:

I’ve wondered if I should delete my show from Apple Podcasts and then reconnect, but that feels drastic. Any advice?
Thanks!

[craigconstantine]

I wouldn’t delete it…

I grabbed your RSS URL from podnews:
https://feeds.simplecast.com/YDRshZA1

And asked two podcast rss validators for opinions…
https://podba.se/validate/?url=https://feeds.simplecast.com/YDRshZA1
https://www.castfeedvalidator.com/?url=https://feeds.simplecast.com/YDRshZA1

…one of them mentioned that the XML isn’t well-formed. That’s techno for “absolutely perfect”. But that doesn’t tell us anything useful. It looks fine to my eye.

And when I look at my Overcast app, I see “Jenna’s Getting Married” published Aug 13 (which is the most recent ITEM [that’s the XML tag for a podcast episode in an rss feed] in the feed.)

So I don’t see anything wrong in the tech… I’d say it’s a problem with Apple’s podcast player. (which I’ve deleted from my devices ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

[JuleKucera]

Craig, thank you for your sleuthing!

Overcast has right. The problem is that 55% of my listeners listen via Apple’s podcast player, and when they see the most recent episode is Nov 2021, they ask me why I’ve stopped podcasting

I’ll see if Simplecast has any recommendations.

PS: It’s good to know the techno bable for “isn’t well-formed”

[Jey (Jey Jeyendran)]

Hi @JuleKucera I agree with @craigconstantine advice.

Anyway, it looks like you and your buddy from Apple have fixed the issue as everywhere I’ve checked ( Apple podcasts, iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Amazon Music and Spotify) your show is back in reverse date order.

Although, oddly, I can’t find your show via the Podcast Addict app.

Great show (as ever) by the way!

[steveh (Steve Heatherington)]

Hi @JuleKucera The order was messed up first thing today but as @Jey says now behaving itself on the laptop. However, it is still strange on my iPhone - recently updated the iOS to 15.6 - connected?

Not sure why it is picking on you the RSS feed seems fine in detail as well as when tested
2022-08-17T11:01:00Z

Sample from the RSS feed - published date and episode number seem fine

<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">948511ef-6978-48f7-8f7e-85b844e772a3</guid>
<title>Jenna's Getting Married</title>
<description>
<![CDATA[ <p>The Huberman Lab podcast on grief, and Jenna.</p><p>https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-process-of-healing-from-grief/</p> ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Aug 2022 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<author>jule@julekucera.com (Jule Kucera)</author>
<link>https://julekucera-reflections.simplecast.com/episodes/jennas-getting-married-yQwVvCHZ</link>
<content:encoded>
<![CDATA[ <p>The Huberman Lab podcast on grief, and Jenna.</p><p>https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-process-of-healing-from-grief/</p> ]]>
</content:encoded>
<enclosure length="2724781" type="audio/mpeg" url="https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/9eb87b32-db36-4147-a4cb-6bb1081284ca/episodes/e7a104f1-b29e-4f07-839c-da4e95b1c2f4/audio/7c405795-3fe1-4d20-84b1-76b329b15b95/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=YDRshZA1"/>
<itunes:title>Jenna's Getting Married</itunes:title>
<itunes:author>Jule Kucera</itunes:author>
<itunes:duration>00:03:14</itunes:duration>
<itunes:summary>Dr. Huberman on grief, and Jenna.</itunes:summary>
<itunes:subtitle>Dr. Huberman on grief, and Jenna.</itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:keywords>huberman lab, huberman, trent, grief, loss, jenna</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
<itunes:episode>70</itunes:episode>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">783d0368-d114-4e4d-8841-71a3afdd2e3d</guid>
<title>A Little Woo-Woo</title>
<description>
<![CDATA[ <p>InsightTimer chanting meditation: https://insighttimer.com/stressfit/guided-meditations/the-power-of-aum</p><p>Tuning fork credited by a friend for her glowing skin: https://biofieldtuningstore.com/products/sonic-slider</p><p>The Body Keeps the Score: https://smile.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma-ebook/dp/B00G3L1C2K/</p> ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 6 Aug 2022 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<author>jule@julekucera.com (Jule Kucera)</author>
<link>https://julekucera-reflections.simplecast.com/episodes/a-little-woo-woo-fFRPDXoL</link>
<content:encoded>
<![CDATA[ <p>InsightTimer chanting meditation: https://insighttimer.com/stressfit/guided-meditations/the-power-of-aum</p><p>Tuning fork credited by a friend for her glowing skin: https://biofieldtuningstore.com/products/sonic-slider</p><p>The Body Keeps the Score: https://smile.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma-ebook/dp/B00G3L1C2K/</p> ]]>
</content:encoded>
<enclosure length="2226284" type="audio/mpeg" url="https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/9eb87b32-db36-4147-a4cb-6bb1081284ca/episodes/890a4329-a287-449e-a20f-bf631c676eae/audio/0be45fa4-fa40-4684-91c8-4bb0b507f84c/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=YDRshZA1"/>
<itunes:title>A Little Woo-Woo</itunes:title>
<itunes:author>Jule Kucera</itunes:author>
<itunes:duration>00:02:38</itunes:duration>
<itunes:summary>Besides getting out in the world and doing stuff, I've also been venturing inward.</itunes:summary>
<itunes:subtitle>Besides getting out in the world and doing stuff, I've also been venturing inward.</itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:keywords>chanting, emotional wellness, tuning fork, wellbeing, vibrations, mental wellness, meditation</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
<itunes:episode>69</itunes:episode>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">f94f3dc8-fce4-4ce5-a038-ce5438fd3a03</guid>
<title>The Body Keeps the Score</title>
<description>
<![CDATA[ <p>Now that I've completed my GOADS (Get Out And Do Stuff) experiment, what will I choose to keep doing?</p><p> </p> ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 30 Jul 2022 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<author>jule@julekucera.com (Jule Kucera)</author>
<link>https://julekucera-reflections.simplecast.com/episodes/the-body-keeps-the-score-kqc2CldL</link>
<content:encoded>
<![CDATA[ <p>Now that I've completed my GOADS (Get Out And Do Stuff) experiment, what will I choose to keep doing?</p><p> </p> ]]>
</content:encoded>
<enclosure length="3335528" type="audio/mpeg" url="https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/9eb87b32-db36-4147-a4cb-6bb1081284ca/episodes/03bc6b96-d19a-45a4-ad46-f9c8a7ecf14e/audio/0fe9b4ff-5876-4467-ab98-51b2c83dc04f/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=YDRshZA1"/>
<itunes:title>The Body Keeps the Score</itunes:title>
<itunes:author>Jule Kucera</itunes:author>
<itunes:duration>00:03:58</itunes:duration>
<itunes:summary>Now that I've completed my GOADS (Get Out And Do Stuff) experiment, what will I choose to keep doing?</itunes:summary>
<itunes:subtitle>Now that I've completed my GOADS (Get Out And Do Stuff) experiment, what will I choose to keep doing?</itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:keywords>sing, vvc, mental wellness, dance, goads, body keeps score, vaso-vagal complex, van der kolk, emotional health, drums, mental health, body keeps the score</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
<itunes:episode>68</itunes:episode>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">d217db64-d4ec-4b88-996a-732c7517b215</guid>
<title>Contra Dancing</title>
<description>
<![CDATA[ <p>Jule goes contra dancing, in her ongoing quest to Get Out And Do Stuff, stuff that will make her feel better.</p> ]]>
</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Jul 2022 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<author>jule@julekucera.com (Jule Kucera)</author>
<link>https://julekucera-reflections.simplecast.com/episodes/contra-dancing-O5SRjBXP</link>
<content:encoded>
<![CDATA[ <p>Jule goes contra dancing, in her ongoing quest to Get Out And Do Stuff, stuff that will make her feel better.</p> ]]>
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<itunes:author>Jule Kucera</itunes:author>
<itunes:duration>00:02:48</itunes:duration>
<itunes:summary>Jule goes contra dancing, in her ongoing quest to Get Out And Do Stuff, stuff that will make her feel better.</itunes:summary>
<itunes:subtitle>Jule goes contra dancing, in her ongoing quest to Get Out And Do Stuff, stuff that will make her feel better.</itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:keywords>well being, mental wellness, contra dance, dance, mental health</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
<itunes:episode>67</itunes:episode>
</item>

On Apple Podcasts Connect (https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/) there is a refresh link - could check the date and try refresh if it seems older than it should? This is mine this morning.

Hope it might help - or it fixes itself before you next look!

[JuleKucera]

@craigconstantine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You taught me something else. The shrug!!

[JuleKucera]

@Jey @steveh Thank you both for your help. I’m glad to hear the episodes are correctly sorted for Jey, and it’s helpful to know they’re still not for Steve (and me).

Steve, I hadn’t seen that refresh link before but I’ve gone ahead and clicked that. The response was, “this could take some time,” which I’m taking as a good sign. I’ll check it later and let you know.

Jey, thanks for letting me know Podcast Addict doesn’t have my show. Time to fix that

Thanks again!

[Jey (Jey Jeyendran)]

No worries. Just in case it helps - I tested using Windows and Android. Could this be a Mac/iOS thing?

[craigconstantine]

@Jey

iOS thing?

thats what my internet searching led me to believe, yes.

[JuleKucera]

@Jey @craigconstantine
Yes, it’s Mac iOS and specifically the podcast phone app, the preview screen only. (Oh, I’ve learned so much!)

I’ve filled a ticket with Apple Podcast support (podcastsupport@apple.com) so the ball is now in their court.

Update: the ticket “has been sent to the appropriate internal team for further review on this issue.”
Update: it’s been resolved, scroll down to see.

[steveh (Steve Heatherington)]

Just checked and they are now in the right order on my phone

[JuleKucera]

Steve, you are right! They are!!!
And how nice to hear the news from you

Ta da!

[steveh (Steve Heatherington)]

so glad it is sorted out now

[JuleKucera]

Me too. Thanks, Steve (and @craigconstantine and @jey) for your help in getting there.

[JuleKucera]

@steveh @craigconstantine @Jey

I wanted to let you know I learned something from Apple Podcasts after my podcast episodes reverted to random order. Here’s the answer: the order isn’t random, it’s based on Apple’s secret algorithm. Only if the searcher clicks on the podcast will all episodes will appear in the order selected on the podcast platform (in my case, episodic, which puts the most recent episode first and the rest to follow chronologically).

Apple, in its infinite wisdom, selects which episodes to display in the search results. Maybe they’ll show the trailer, but probably not. Maybe they grab the most popular, but according to my Simplecast data, that’s not what they’re doing.

Always something to learn in the world of podcasting…