Apple products get a lot of attention in the podcasting space, but iOS is actually not the most popular mobile operating system. Here's how you can ensure you don't forget your Android podcast fans!

1. Respect Android and its users

Data from Edison Research, Blubrry (https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry), and Libsyn (https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/libsyn) continue to show Apple devices dominate podcast consumption by huge numbers. But there are far more Android devices than iOS devices.

Have you heard the story of the two shoemakers in a foreign country?

One shoemaker arrives and notices the natives are all barefoot, so with a voice of defeat, he calls his supplier and says, “Forget it. No one wears shoes here. This is a failure.”

That's how many podcasters look at Android users. They think something like, “They represent such a small portion of the podcast audience, so why bother reaching them?”

But the other shoemaker has a different worldview. He arrives in the same foreign country and also notices natives are all barefoot. But this shoemaker eagerly calls his supplier and says, “No one wears shoes here! SEND ME EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!”

It's a difference of perspective. You might disrespect Android users and assume they're not the “type” of people to consume podcasts. While that may be true in some cases, the stereotype doesn't apply to all Android users.

Perhaps the reason most podcast consumption happens on an Apple device is based on the early history and corporate level of support for podcasts.

But this is no reason to ignore or especially not to alienate a huge potential audience for your podcast. Imagine getting as many Android subscribers to your podcast as you have iOS subscribers. You would probably see at least a 50% increase in your audience size.

Isn't that worth the work?

2. Don't focus so much on “iTunes”

One of the big ways we tend to alienate our potential audience of Android users is by pushing “iTunes.”

First of all, we should stop saying “iTunes” when we really mean “Apple Podcasts,” since podcasts are not consumed in iTunes on the majority of Apple devices. And if Apple ever releases some kind of podcast-consumption option for Android, it's likely to be called “Apple Podcasts,” and not iTunes.

Branding aside, referring so much to iTunes—both in encouraging subscriptions and in asking for ratings and reviews—is instantly excluding anyone listening or watching through an Android device.

Keep in mind ratings and reviews do not affect your ranking in almost any podcast app. But if you're going to ask for ratings and reviews, remember to offer an Android option, such as Stitcher. And don't worry about having yet another place to check your podcast reviews, because My Podcast Reviews (https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/mpr) has been able to automatically collect your Stitcher reviews for years.

So I recommend either excluding mention of specific apps or platforms altogether, or being more inclusive of popular Android options whenever you mention “Apple Podcasts” (or “iTunes,” if you keep accidentally saying the wrong thing).

3. Offer Android subscription options

My first two suggestions focused on changing your mindset toward Android users. Now, look at the practical ways to support your current or potential podcast audience on Android.

It starts by offering a simple Android subscription link.

Yes, we probably all have the “Subscribe in iTunes” links, buttons, and icons on our sites. (My own Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin is switching from saying “iTunes” to “Apple Podcasts.”) But that's not good enough for Android users—except BeyondPod, which is the only Android app I know that can use an iTunes link for subscribing on Android. Even then, the label still says “iTunes” or “Apple Podcasts,” and thus won't be obvious to BeyondPod users.

For a while, Stitcher was the most-recommend podcast app for Android,