How chapters work on Apple Podcasts and Spotify (and how to use yours)

Chapters let listeners jump straight to the part of an episode they care about. The catch is that podcast apps don't all read chapters the same way, and Apple Podcasts and Spotify each added their own automatic chapters recently. This article explains what each platform does and how to make sure your chapters are the ones people see.

New to chapters? Start with What is a podcast chapter? and How to add a chapter.

What RSS.com does with your chapters

When you create chapters in your RSS.com dashboard (up to 10 per episode), we add them to your RSS feed in two open formats at once:

• Podcasting 2.0 chapters (<podcast:chapters>), the rich format that carries titles, images, and links. This is what Apple Podcasts and Podcasting 2.0 apps read.
• Podlove Simple Chapters, the format Spotify reads.

Because we include both, the chapters you create appear automatically on your RSS.com web player, on Podcasting 2.0 apps (Podverse, Fountain, Castamatic, and others), on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts — plus they're baked into the video when you publish to YouTube via PodViz. For which apps show titles vs. images vs. links, see Chapter element support across apps.

Spotify

Spotify reads the chapters in your feed. Because we include Podlove Simple Chapters, the chapters you create on RSS.com appear on Spotify automatically — no Spotify-side setup needed (Spotify: enabling chapters, which tells creators hosted elsewhere to "use Podlove chapters in your RSS feed").

Your chapters take priority over Spotify's automatic ones. Spotify also auto-generates chapters for some shows (English only, limited rollout), but per Spotify, "if you add manual chapters, they show instead of your automatic chapters" (Spotify: episode chapters), and your feed chapters count as your chapters.

A few Spotify specifics:

• Spotify shows chapter titles only — not chapter images or links.
• Spotify's rules: at least 3 chapters, at least 30 seconds apart, the first chapter at 00:00, and titles in plain text (no emojis/HTML), ideally under 40 characters.
• Spotify may also add AI-reworded "chapter hooks" to titles; you can turn those off per episode or for the whole show.

Apple Podcasts

Your RSS.com chapters now appear on Apple Podcasts automatically. Apple reads the <podcast:chapters> data from your feed and shows your chapter titles and timestamps, nothing extra to upload or switch on. This works for listeners on iOS/iPadOS 26.2 or later, where Apple rolled out full chapter support.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• If you don't add chapters, Apple generates its own for English shows (labeled "Automatically created"); adding your own takes over from those.
• Listeners on Apple app versions before iOS 26.2 may not see chapters, and an episode only shows chapters if you added them to that episode.
• Follow Apple's guidelines so your chapters are accepted: start the first chapter at 00:00:00, include at least three, keep them no shorter than two minutes, and keep titles under 45 characters.
• You can still embed ID3/MP4 chapter markers in the audio file if you want them baked in for every app, but it's no longer needed just for Apple. See Chapter type support across apps.

At a glance

• Apple Podcasts: reads your feed chapters (Podcasting 2.0) on iOS 26.2+; auto-generates its own (English) only if you don't provide them.
• Spotify: reads your feed chapters (Podlove); titles only, no images or links; auto-generates (English, limited) only if you don't provide them.
• Podcasting 2.0 apps & the RSS.com player: read your feed chapters with full titles, images, and links.
• YouTube (via PodViz): chapters are built into the video.

In every case the takeaway is the same: just add your chapters on RSS.com and they flow out to all of these.

Troubleshooting

• I can only add 10 chapters. That's the current per-episode limit on RSS.com. If you need more, let support know — we log these requests.
• My chapters aren't on Apple yet. Chapters show for listeners on iOS/iPadOS 26.2 or later. Make sure your first chapter starts at 00:00:00 and you have at least three, then give Apple time to re-read your feed. An episode only shows chapters if they were added to that specific episode.
• Spotify shows my chapters but not my images. That's expected, Spotify displays chapter titles only. Images and links appear in Podcasting 2.0 apps and on your RSS.com page.
• I changed my chapters but an app still shows the old ones. Apps re-check your feed on their own schedule; give it some time to refresh.

Still stuck? Email support@rss.com with your show and the episode and we'll help you sort it out.