# Question about podcasts **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795 "2015-09-12T12:55:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/1 "2015-09-12T12:55:05Z")
I’ve become pretty addicted to This American Life. I download the episodes to my phone as they become available and listen to them while commuting. I can’t figure out, though, how to access older episodes (or even if you can). The interface seems clunky (using the Podcasts app on the iPhone), and there is no way that I can find to accomplish this. I would have thought there would be a long list of archived episodes from which I could pick and choose. Am I missing something? Thanks, mmm ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/2 "2015-09-12T13:24:49Z")
Not all podcasts have full archives available online, and “This American Life” appears to be one such podcast. Currently, it seems like the past four episodes are available for free download via podcasting apps. The easiest way to get the full archive on your iPhone is probably to use their [custom-built app](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/listen/mobile) instead. It costs $2.99, but it appears to give you full access to stream the archive, along with the ability to download a limited number of episodes to listen to offline. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/3 "2015-09-12T15:26:03Z")
Thanks so much, **MikeS**. This is well worth a few dollars to me. mmm ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/4 "2015-09-13T06:08:37Z")
Use [this podcast site](http://www.nexttime.com/mbrodeur/tmp/tal-old.xml) instead of the regular This American Life site. It seems to have all the episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/5 "2015-09-13T11:39:16Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Use [this podcast site](http://www.nexttime.com/mbrodeur/tmp/tal-old.xml) instead of the regular This American Life site. It seems to have all the episodes. Thank you, **needscoffee**. Would I just use my phone’s browser to access these, or is there an easier way? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/6 "2015-09-13T12:11:01Z")
I use an app called Beyond Pod that downloads all of my favorite podcasts, then deletes them after I’ve listened to them. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/7 "2015-09-14T03:34:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Thank you, **needscoffee**. > > Would I just use my phone’s browser to access these, or is there an easier way? > mmm I’m afraid I can’t be of much help here; I have an android phone and I use the podcaster named Podkicker, which brought up that link. Can you just tell iTunes or whatever podcast downloader you use to subscribe to that link? ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/8 "2015-09-14T05:36:08Z")
They have several available on YouTube and you can rip it to mp3 if you want. This is only about 100 or so - their archive I can’t figure out how to get with above board means. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/9 "2015-09-14T14:45:34Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I use an app called Beyond Pod that downloads all of my favorite podcasts, then deletes them after I’ve listened to them. That’s not going to help the OP, since he’s looking for episodes from years past, before he started using a podcast app. _This American Life_ only provides the most recent episode in their RSS feed for downloading by podcast apps. > [@needscoffee](#): > > I’m afraid I can’t be of much help here; I have an android phone and I use the podcaster named Podkicker, which brought up that link. Can you just tell iTunes or whatever podcast downloader you use to subscribe to that link? He was talking about going to the TAL site and clicking the link to listen to an episode, which is free. This works through your web browser, not your podcast app, so it’s less convenient, because it’s streamed, not downloaded to your phone, and the web browser’s user interface is not built for convenient podcast listening. You can download any episode from their archive, by the way, but they charge $0.99 per episode. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/10 "2015-09-15T02:58:55Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Thank you, **needscoffee**. > > Would I just use my phone’s browser to access these, or is there an easier way? > mmm I tested this via my iPhone and it won’t work. Safari simply opens the Podcast app when you tap on one of the mp3 files. Mercury (Firefox for iOS) just says it can’t display the page. I also tried downloading an mp3 on my Windows desktop and then manually creating a sub-folder in the podcast folder in the iTunes media library and then opening iTunes and manually adding the file/folder. Still won’t see it (gotta love money-grubbing Apple…) ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-podcasts/730795/11 "2015-09-15T21:17:17Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I tested this via my iPhone and it won’t work. Safari simply opens the Podcast app when you tap on one of the mp3 files. Mercury (Firefox for iOS) just says it can’t display the page. I also tried downloading an mp3 on my Windows desktop and then manually creating a sub-folder in the podcast folder in the iTunes media library and then opening iTunes and manually adding the file/folder. Still won’t see it (gotta love money-grubbing Apple…) The link works totally fine on my iOS device. It sends you to the Podcast app where you can subscribe to the feed, stream the episodes OTA or download them for offline listening. You are also wrong about it being due to money-grubbing on Apples part. Blame the producers or WBEZ. Apple can’t force someone to put up a podcast for free.