iTunes Configuration Assistance
 

I use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts that I listen to on an iPod classic. New podcasts stay in iTunes forever, or until I delete them manually, this is OK. However, when a new podcast is synced to the iPod, and I listen to it once, upon the next iPod-iTunes sync it is removed from the iPod.

This happens even if I listen to the first 20 seconds of a podcast. More annoyingly, it happens even if you start to listen to a podcast by mistake (for example some WSJ podcasts that do not identify the week's subject or content in their title, some don't even have the date listed, ... the WSJ is slipping).

As a result, I'm constantly syncing twice. Once to get the new podcasts onto the iPod, and then a second time, after carefully looking at podcasts view in iTunes to see which ones got removed from the iPod that I want to keep, (the ones I started but didn't finish or, started by mistake).

Is there a way (configuration setting?) to remove only podcasts from your iPod if you listen to X% or more of them? Or something related? I suspect this is by podcast in iTunes, where you right click and get some options by Podcast (not by Podcast episode), but I've yet to get the right combination of options figured out and setup.

[note: The UI descriptions are for iTunes on Windows, it may look slightly different on a Mac]

When your iPod is plugged into iTunes, select the iPod in the left hand column, then select "Podcasts" from the tabs across the top of the center frame (the one that reads Summary, Info, Music, ..."

You'll then have a Podcast configuration menu displayed, and instead of selecting (for instance) "Sync 10 most recent unplayed", select "Sync 10 most recent" or "5 most recent" or All or what have you. Most recent unplayed means delete ones you've listened to any part of, Most recent by itself means always keep the newest ones, even if you've listened to them already.

Bob

Thanks. I had it set to "Sync all new episodes of all new Podcasts".

Just changed it to "Sync all episodes of all Podcasts". And I see it is now syncing all the episodes I previously deleted.

That's better, I was hoping for something in between, like remove those I've completely listened to, or do not remove those I've only only listened to the first 15 seconds of, etc.