Q&A: With an Upgrade, Podcasts Move to an Apple App

Finding Podcasts in iOS 7

Q. Ever since I upgraded, I see my podcasts in iTunes but not in the iPhone music’s app. Where did my shows go?

A. Beginning with iOS 6 last year, Apple began to move those types of audio files into their own separate app, called Podcasts. Audio and video files from iTunes U, the company’s online archive of academic and educational materials, also got their own namesake app.

Apple designed its free Podcasts app to handle all podcast-related activity on iOS devices. Once you install the app, you can subscribe, download or stream shows right on the iPhone — and find any podcast episodes you downloaded through iTunes on the computer and synced to your phone. The Podcasts app (and an online manual for it) is at www.apple.com/support/ios/podcasts.

Not everyone is a fan of the Podcasts app or Apple’s decision to move podcasts out of the Music app. Within online forums on Apple’s site, users have criticized the app’s erratic behavior with syncing shows and functionality with certain automobile music systems. Others have devised workarounds for getting podcasts to sync back up with the Music app again, like changing the file’s “Media Kind” from Podcast to Audiobook in the iTunes settings.

Podcasts has had a few revisions since its initial release, so Apple does seem to be trying to improve the program. Using the most updated version of the app, iTunes and iOS 7 should help the experience. Still, if you try it out and find it not to your liking, the App Store has plenty of other podcast player-manager apps in stock, although you may have to pay a few dollars. Alternatives include PodCruncher ($3) and Downcast ($3).

Seeing Google Read Your Mind

Q. When I type a search into Google, it sometimes offers suggestions in a box on the screen, some of which are actually what I want. How does it know that?

A. Google’s Autocomplete feature for its search engine uses algorithms for the predictions. These algorithms are based on several factors, including the actual content of the Web pages Google indexes, and the overall popularity of keywords or phrases used by other people searching the Web. You may see even more eerily relevant results if you have a Google account and allow the site to keep track of your Web history.

If you don’t see any suggestions, it may be because the keywords violate Google’s policies concerning hate speech, pornography or violence. Search terms that are relatively new (and haven’t been widely indexed) or are not generally popular enough may also lack predictions from Autocomplete.

Autocomplete is meant to be a time- and energy-saver for those who do a lot of Web searches. Some people have even found the suggestions — when viewed as a collection — to have a certain charm to them, as you can see at www.googlepoetics.com.

TIP OF THE WEEK Like many electronic book readers and apps, Amazon’s Kindle devices come with a dictionary that can be used to quickly look up words in an open e-book. Many Kindle touch-screen models (including the Paperwhite and Fire HDX) also include the ability to translate selected text into different languages. The Kindle uses Microsoft’s Bing Translator, and needs a wireless connection to get the job done.

To use the Instant Translation feature in a Kindle book, press your finger on the screen and drag it over the section of text you want to translate. Next, go to the More menu, tap Translation and choose a language from the menu. The Kindle then converts the selected text into your chosen language and displays it in the Translation box on the screen. J.D. BIERSDORFER