Marco Arment, creator of Overcast:
The Apple Watch desperately needs standalone podcast playback, especially with the LTE-equipped Series 3, which was designed specifically for exercising without an iPhone.
Believe me, I’ve tried. But limitations in watchOS 4 make it impossible to deliver standalone podcast playback with the basic functionality and quality that people expect.
He goes on to outline what APIs Apple would need to improve or implement to make building a podcast client up to his (and Apple’s, he argues) standards.
Overcast has a basic watchOS app now, but Marco had made a run at something more complex in the past, but just had to remove offline playback due to the issues he outlines in this post.
I for one would love Apple to give Marco — and other podcast app makers — the tools they need. The Apple Watch is begging for a first-rate podcast client. It really would make my new LTE Watch the perfect companion for runs and bike rides.