Episode images not taking up the full episode card when added from RSS feed

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Episode images not taking up the full episode card when added from RSS feed

I have a podcast that is loaded via RSS url (ie not through Apple's marketplace) and it seems as though I can't add an image that takes up the entirety of the episode card even when using images that work properly in other podcasts.

On the left in the screenshot below is the economist whos episode image properly takes up the entire card in the podcasts app (feed here, use curl). But when using the same image url in both the episode itself and in the podcast root in my feed via `<itunes:image>`, it still doesn't take up the entire card.

Do we know why that is?

Posted on Nov 22, 2024 10:03 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 22, 2024 10:15 AM in response to gaieges

I can't find any documentation on this at the moment: but this may be analagous to the image which spreads across the top of the page on a computer: I belive you may have to be invited to have one of these (if your podcast is popular enough). You can't implement it from the feed.

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Answer 2

gaieges Author

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Nov 22, 2024 10:26 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Interesting, I was thinking it might be an "anointed" sort of situation too. If I submit it to the podcast store would that do it or does it need some higher level of approval?

I'm also noticing that the episode image isn't even coming through at all when clicking through to the individual episode, it just reverts to the podcast logo; if that's at all informative.

It's a bit odd, because they seem to indicate here that this is all supported: https://podcasters.apple.com/support/896-artwork-requirements

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Answer 3

gaieges Author

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Nov 23, 2024 7:31 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

The feed URL is in the original post, but I'm not sure I can submit this podcast to apple for approval as it's specific to a user. I have a test podcast here though that 404's.

I can say though that the images pop up properly in the podcast connect episode view - each episode expectedly shows a different image in that view but that same URL when added via direct RSS feed does not show them at all (even as the small picture)

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Answer 4

Nov 22, 2024 11:40 PM in response to gaieges

I don't really know about this larger image, but I suspect that if anything happens it will be from Apple's end. As to the episode image, it used to be the cae that it had to be embedded in the media file, however Apple's current info indicates that you should use an 'itunes:image' tag within the code for that episode. I can't comment further unless you would like to post the URLs of both your Apple Podcasts preview page and your feed.

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Answer 5

Nov 23, 2024 1:48 PM in response to gaieges

Since the podcast isn't up on Apple Podcasts and there isn't a feed URL I can use I can't offer any further comment, except that if the full card image you mention is the same as ther image which appears at the top of the Apple Podcasts web page, that can only appear when the feed is submitted to Podcasts Connect, not in the app when it uses the feed.

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