How to Clear the Podcasts App Storage on iPhone (Auto-Downloads Add Up)
To clear Apple Podcasts storage, delete the downloaded episodes and then stop the app from re-downloading: check the size at Settings › General › iPhone Storage › Podcasts, remove downloads inside the app under Library › Downloaded, and turn off auto-download at Settings › Apps › Podcasts. By default the app downloads every new episode of every show you follow and keeps played ones, so it can quietly grow to several gigabytes. This guide is for anyone who sees Podcasts near the top of their storage list and isn't sure why.
TL;DR
- Apple Podcasts auto-downloads new episodes for every show you follow, by default.
- It also keeps episodes after you've played them, so storage only ever grows.
- Check the real size at Settings › General › iPhone Storage › Podcasts.
- Delete downloads in Library › Downloaded, then turn auto-download off in Settings.
- Removed episodes re-download on demand — nothing is lost from the catalog permanently.
Why is the Podcasts app taking up so much space?
Because it downloads more than you listen to, and rarely cleans up after itself. When you follow a show, Apple Podcasts defaults to automatically downloading each new episode as it's released — whether or not you ever open it. On top of that, episodes you have played aren't deleted by default; they sit on the device taking up room. A daily news show plus a few hour-long interview podcasts can add up to several gigabytes within weeks, entirely in the background.
To see exactly how much it's using:
- Open Settings › General › iPhone Storage.
- Wait for the per-app list to load, sorted largest-first.
- Tap Podcasts and look at Documents & Data — that's the downloaded audio, not the app itself.
If Podcasts is sitting near the top of that list, the downloads are the cause, and the fix has two halves: remove what's already there, then stop it refilling.
How do I delete downloaded podcast episodes?
The downloads live inside the app, not in Settings, so this part happens in Podcasts itself:
- Open the Podcasts app and tap Library.
- Tap Downloaded (or Downloaded Episodes) to see only the audio stored on your device.
- Swipe left on any episode and tap Remove Download, or tap Edit to select several at once.
- To clear a whole show, open it from Shows, tap the ⋯ menu, and choose Remove Downloads.
This deletes only the local audio file. The episode still appears in your library and re-downloads (or streams) whenever you tap play, as long as it's still in the publisher's feed. You're removing the stored copy, not unsubscribing.
How do I stop Podcasts from auto-downloading again?
Deleting downloads is temporary if auto-download is still on — the app will quietly rebuild the pile. Turn it off and set episodes to clean themselves up:
- Open Settings › Apps › Podcasts.
- Set Download Episodes to Off (or to "Only when on Wi-Fi" if you still want some).
- Turn Delete Played Episodes On so finished audio is removed automatically.
- Set the Episode Limit to a small number (for example, the most recent one or two) so old episodes are pruned.
You can also tune this per show: open the show, tap ⋯ › Settings, and adjust downloads and limits for that podcast alone — useful if you want one favorite kept offline but everything else streamed.
| Setting | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Download Episodes | Settings › Apps › Podcasts | Stops new episodes saving automatically |
| Delete Played Episodes | Settings › Apps › Podcasts | Clears audio once you finish it |
| Episode Limit | Settings › Apps › Podcasts | Caps how many old episodes are kept |
| Remove Download | App › Library › Downloaded | Deletes one stored episode now |
| Per-show settings | App › show › ⋯ › Settings | Overrides the above for a single podcast |
Does this apply to other podcast apps?
Yes — the same pattern causes the same problem in nearly every podcast player. Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, and the apps that replaced Google Podcasts all offer auto-download and offline storage, and most keep downloaded episodes until you remove them by hand. The wording differs from app to app, but the fix is identical in every one: find that app's download or offline setting, turn off automatic downloads (or at least limit them to Wi-Fi and a few recent episodes), and enable whatever "delete after playing" or "keep last N episodes" option it offers. If you listen across two or three players, it's worth doing this pass in each — the worst storage offenders are usually the apps you forgot were downloading at all.
Podcast audio is also just one slice of a bigger habit — offline media from streaming apps adds up the same way. If you've got downloaded shows and music across several apps, see how to manage offline downloads in Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube for the full sweep.
Is it safe to delete podcast downloads — and what won't this do?
It's safe. Removing a download deletes only the audio file stored on your iPhone; the episode stays in your library and re-downloads or streams the moment you tap play, provided it's still available in the show's feed. You don't lose your subscriptions, your place in a partly-played episode, or anything from the podcast catalog itself. The native settings above are conservative — turning off auto-download simply means episodes wait until you ask for them.
The one honest caveat: a tiny number of episodes get pulled from feeds over time by their publishers, so an episode removed locally that later disappears from the feed can't be re-downloaded. If there's a rare episode you truly want forever, keep that one downloaded deliberately.
Native Podcasts settings handle Podcasts itself well. What they can't do is show you everything else eating your storage in one place. Cleanor scans your iPhone locally to surface heavy app data, large files, and duplicate photos together — nothing is uploaded — so a forgotten download folder in another app doesn't go unnoticed.
FAQ
Why does Apple Podcasts use so much storage?
By default it auto-downloads every new episode of every show you follow and keeps episodes after you've played them. Without limits, that combination can grow to several gigabytes, which is why Podcasts often appears high on the iPhone Storage list.
If I delete downloaded episodes, do I lose them forever?
No. Removing a download deletes only the local audio file — the episode stays in your library and re-downloads or streams when you play it, as long as it's still in the publisher's feed. The only exception is an episode a publisher later removes from the feed.
How do I stop Podcasts from downloading automatically?
Go to Settings › Apps › Podcasts and set Download Episodes to Off (or Wi-Fi only). Turn on Delete Played Episodes and set a small Episode Limit so old audio is pruned automatically instead of piling up.
Where do I see how much space Podcasts is using?
Open Settings › General › iPhone Storage and tap Podcasts. The Documents & Data figure is the downloaded audio on your device, separate from the small app itself.
Where to start
Clear the downloads, switch off auto-download, and Podcasts stops quietly reclaiming space. If it was near the top of your storage list, that one change can free gigabytes. For the bigger picture on which heavy categories to tackle next, see what to delete first when storage is full. To find every space hog at once — heavy app data, large files, and duplicate photos — locally and with nothing uploaded, explore the phone storage cleanup solution or get Cleanor for iOS.