This article explains how to fix the issue when the Apple Podcasts app won't play a podcast.

When a podcast won't play in the Apple Podcasts app, it's often due to a problem downloading the podcast or syncing it to other devices. The Podcasts app should automatically download and sync podcasts, but this can be interrupted or unavailable for a variety of reasons, including a poor internet connection or a problem with the servers hosting the podcast.

The podcast also won't play due to a software bug or configuration issue in the Podcasts app. This is less common and difficult to troubleshoot, as the Apple Podcasts app doesn't throw many error messages.

Fortunately, the methods to solve this problem are similar, regardless of the cause.