Apple may announce new pay-monthly Apple Podcasts subscription service at ‘Spring Loaded’ event

Update: As noted by AppleInsider, Apple has now stopped accepting new podcast episodes to iTunes Connect, a further hint that a new Apple Podcasts subscription service could launch soon.

Apple may unveil its rumored “Podcasts+” subscription service at tomorrow’s “Spring Loaded” special event, according to Vox Media’s Peter Kafka (via 9to5Mac).

At the beginning of the year, a report claimed Apple was considering a new pay-monthly Podcast subscription service to compete with the likes of Amazon and Spotify, part of an effort to entice podcast creators to Apple’s Podcasts service and to pull them away from rival services that give ways to monetize content.

The rumors continued when Apple changed the wording of its “subscribe” feature in the Podcasts app with betas of iOS 14.5, swapping it out for “follow” instead, which would be a hint that the company is preparing for the launch of its paid service, not wanting to confuse users between subscribing to a channel and subscribing to the “Podcasts+” service itself.

While we are here: Pretty sure Apple is prepping its own podcast plan – a paid subscription service – on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/w12tWqg0yo

— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) April 18, 2021

Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event is expected to see the introduction of the long-awaited Apple AirTag item trackers, new iPads, and possibly an updated Apple TV.

The event will be streamed at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time from the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, and will likely follow a similar format to Apple’s previous events last year, which saw new products announced in pre-recorded segments from different areas of the Cupertino campus.