Chapter type support across apps

The chapters you add on RSS.com reach most podcast apps on their own. We add them to your RSS feed in two open formats, and each app reads the format it supports. Apps don't all show the same parts of a chapter, so the same chapter can look different from one app to the next.

New to chapters? Start with What is a podcast chapter? and How to add, edit or delete chapters.

What RSS.com does with your chapters

When you create chapters in your dashboard, up to 10 per episode, we add them to your feed in both formats.

• Podcasting 2.0 chapters (<podcast:chapters>) carry titles, images and links. Apple Podcasts, the RSS.com player and Podcasting 2.0 apps such as Podverse, Fountain and Castamatic read this format.
• Podlove Simple Chapters carry titles and start times. Spotify reads this format.

When you publish to YouTube with PodViz, your chapters and their images are built into the video.

Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts reads the Podcasting 2.0 chapters in your feed and shows them to listeners on iOS and iPadOS 26.2 or later. There is nothing to upload or switch on.

• If an episode has no chapters, Apple creates its own for shows in English and labels them "Automatically created". Adding your own chapters replaces them.
• Listeners on earlier versions of the app may not see chapters.
• Apple recommends at least three chapters, the first at 00:00:00, each at least two minutes long, with titles under 45 characters (Apple's chapter guide). Chapter titles on RSS.com already stop at 45 characters.
• Apple shows chapter images. A chapter link shows only when it points to Apple content, such as an episode on Apple Podcasts or a song on Apple Music.

Spotify

Spotify reads the Podlove chapters in your feed, so your chapters appear there with no setup on Spotify's side (Spotify's chapter guide).

• Spotify shows chapter titles only, without images or links.
• Spotify creates automatic chapters for some shows in English. Manual chapters show instead of automatic ones, and the chapters in your feed count as manual.
• Spotify asks for at least three chapters, at least 30 seconds apart, with the first at 00:00. Titles should be plain text without emoji or HTML, ideally under 40 characters.
• Spotify may reword chapter titles with AI as "chapter hooks". You can turn these off for one episode or for the whole show in Spotify for Creators.

Other ways to add chapters

Two other methods work alongside the chapters you create on RSS.com.

• Timestamps in your episode description. Spotify and Apple Podcasts (iOS 18 and later) turn timecodes such as 00:18:20 in your description into clickable chapters. Listeners in any app can also read them in the description.
• ID3 chapters inside the MP3. These are embedded in the audio file with a tool like Forecast (macOS) or another ID3 editor, before you upload. Apple Podcasts no longer needs them. To change them later, replace the episode's audio file instead of deleting the episode, so its analytics stay intact.

Which chapter elements each app shows

A chapter can carry a title, a timestamp, a link and its own artwork. Not every app shows all four. Adding timestamps to your episode description as well helps listeners navigate whichever app they use.

Best practices

• Create your chapters on RSS.com. One set reaches Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcasting 2.0 apps and the RSS.com player.
• Add timestamps to your episode description too, so listeners can navigate in any app.
• Use at least three chapters, start the first at 00:00 and keep titles short and in plain text. That meets both Apple's and Spotify's guidelines.

Troubleshooting

• I can only add 10 chapters. That's the limit per episode on RSS.com. If you need more, let us know, because we log these requests.
• My chapters aren't on Apple Podcasts. Chapters show on iOS and iPadOS 26.2 or later, and only on the episodes you added them to. Check that the first chapter starts at 00:00:00 and that you have at least three. Apple Podcasts picks up feed changes within up to 24 hours.
• Spotify shows my chapters but not my images. That's expected, because Spotify shows chapter titles only. Images and links appear in Podcasting 2.0 apps and on your RSS.com pages.
• I changed my chapters but an app still shows the old ones. Each app re-reads your feed on its own schedule. Apple Podcasts and Spotify pick up changes within up to 24 hours.

Still stuck? Email support@rss.com with your show and the episode, and we'll take a look.