There are certain moments in life when technology promises serenity and delivers chaos. You sit down, ready for an evening of podcast-fuelled pottering about, and your Apple TV decides—rather unilaterally—that you’ve had quite enough stimulation for one episode. The screen goes black, the sound stops, and the whole thing curls up for a nap like an overly sensitive cat.
If you’ve bumped into this behaviour, you’re not alone. Apple TV, for all its polish, has an interesting interpretation of “continuous listening”. Here’s what’s going on, and how to coax it into behaving like a proper audio device. The root of the issue is deceptively simple: Apple TV treats podcasts as video items.
Even audio-only shows are wrapped in a video container. And what do video players do when the content ends? They stop politely and wait.
If you were hoping for a radio-style stream of episodes rolling seamlessly one after the other… well, Apple TV did not read that memo.
Option 1: Turn On Continuous Playback (If You Have It)
Apple has, at various points in its history, flirted with a setting called Continuous Playback.
If your version of tvOS supports it, you’ll find it here:
- Settings → Apps → Podcasts → Continuous Playback
Turn this on, and Apple TV should line up the next episode automatically.
Should being the operative word—Apple sometimes rolls this setting out in phases, and not all models see it.
If you don’t have this toggle, do not panic; solutions await.
Option 2: Let Your iPhone Handle the Queue (Highly Recommended)
If you want a method that Just Works™, the most reliable approach is to let your iPhone (or iPad) run the playback while the Apple TV acts purely as a speaker/screen via AirPlay.
- Start your podcast on the iPhone Podcasts app
- Open Control Centre
- Tap AirPlay → select your Apple TV
Your iPhone continues to manage the queue exactly as it normally would.
Your Apple TV sits back and plays the audio without deciding it’s bedtime.
This approach neatly sidesteps the “podcast-as-video” quirk of tvOS.
Option 3: Adjust Sleep Settings on Apple TV
If your Apple TV is falling asleep mid-listening regardless of playback source, tweak its sleep timer:
- Settings → General → Sleep After
Set it to Never (or at least something more generous than “about halfway through the episode I’m actually enjoying”).
It won’t fix episode-to-episode continuity on its own, but it does stop the device from clocking out at random.
The Quickest and Easiest Setup
If you want a simple and dependable solution without rummaging through settings:
Play on iPhone → AirPlay to Apple TV → let the phone manage the queue.
That’s the most consistent, family-friendly, late-evening-proof workflow I’ve found.
Apple TV is a great device, but when it comes to podcasts, it occasionally behaves like it’s auditioning to be a cinema rather than a radio. Until Apple brings native, universal continuous playback to all models, the AirPlay approach remains the best way to keep episodes flowing without interruption.
Your ears (and your living room) will thank you.