According to 9to5Mac, Apple has finally addressed a five-year-old feature gap in iOS 26.2 by integrating Apple Music song links directly into the Apple Podcasts app. This update specifically enhances the experience for listening to Apple Music Radio shows, like the Mark Hoppus-hosted “After School Radio” on Apple Music Hits. The key new feature allows listeners to see and tap links to songs as they play during an episode, jumping directly to the track in the Music app to save it or explore the artist. This solves a major drawback that existed even after Apple added notifications, offline playback, and show-following to Podcasts for these radio shows back in 2023. The links appear on the Now Playing screen and within the auto-generated episode transcripts introduced in iOS 17.4. The writer notes this was an unexpected but delightful surprise that closes the loop on a request first made in early 2021.
Why This Took So Long
Here’s the thing: this seems like such an obvious feature, right? Apple Music Radio shows are basically podcasts that play music. But for years, listening to them in the Podcasts app meant you were cut off from the Music app’s ecosystem. You’d hear a great song and have to scramble to Shazam it or remember the name. It defeated the whole purpose of music discovery. So why did it take five years to link two of Apple’s own apps together? I think it highlights a classic Apple silo problem. The Music team and the Podcasts team probably operated separately for too long. It took a user grinding their gears for half a decade to get them to talk. Basically, it’s a great fix, but it’s embarrassing it took this long.
The Bigger Picture for Apple
This small update is actually a big signal. It shows Apple is finally, seriously trying to make its services work together seamlessly. Think about it. They have Music, Podcasts, TV, Fitness—all these subscription worlds. The real value isn’t in each one alone; it’s in how they connect. Adding these song links is a nod to the “Apple One” bundle mentality. They want you living entirely within their walled garden, and that garden needs walkways between the different sections. Could we see more of this? Maybe TV show soundtrack links in the Podcasts app for interview episodes? Or workout playlists from Fitness episodes popping up in Music? The trajectory is clear: deeper, smarter integration is the next battleground.
One Lingering Concern
But there’s a funny, almost sad twist to this story. The writer’s whole journey started with “After School Radio,” the show that inspired the initial request. Now, with the perfect listening experience finally assembled, they’re not sure if the show is even still active—the last episode was in October. Isn’t that just the way? You finally get the feature you begged for, and the reason you wanted it might be gone. It raises a question about Apple Music Radio’s overall health. Are these curated shows a priority, or are they fading into the background? The tech might be catching up, but the content needs to keep flowing. Otherwise, what’s the point?
A Model for Other Platforms?
Look, Spotify has been doing a version of this for ages with its own podcast playlists and song saving. But Apple’s implementation, once it arrives, is often more elegant. Tapping a link that takes you right into the Music app’s full context—the album, the artist page, the discography—that’s powerful. It turns passive listening into active exploration. Other platforms should take note. This isn’t just about adding a “save” button; it’s about bridging the gap between audio content and actionable music libraries. For anyone who loves music discovery, this is how it should work. It just shouldn’t have taken half a decade to build.
