How to Listen to Podcasts on Kindle or Kindle Fire

So you would like to listen to Podcasts on Kindle or Kindle Fire? Read on to find out how!

Solution 1: USB Cable

Depending on which Kindle you have, there are slightly different methods when using a USB cable.

Kindle Keyboard, Kindle DX or Kindle Second Generation

1. Download the podcast to your computer. Note the file extension of the podcast.
2. Connect the Kindle to your computer via USB cable.
3. Click the Start button, then “Computer” to open a Windows Explorer window. The Kindle will be listed under “Devices with Removable Storage.” Double-click it.
4. Double-click “Audible” if the podcast has an AA or AAC extension. Double-click “Music” if the podcast has an MP3 extension.
5. Drag and drop the podcast file onto an empty area of the Windows Explorer window.
6. Disconnect the Kindle from the computer.
7. Press the “Home” button, then the “Menu” button. Use the 5-way controller to move to and select “Experimental.”
8. Use the 5-way controller to move to and select “Play MP3.” One of the audio files on the device will begin to play. Press “Alt-F” until the podcast you want to hear begins playing.

Kindle Touch

1. Download the podcast to your computer. Note the podcast’s file extension.
2. Connect the Kindle to your computer via USB cable.
3. Click the Start button, then “Computer” to open a Windows Explorer window. The Kindle will be listed under “Devices with Removable Storage.” Double-click it.
4. Double-click “Audible” if the podcast’s file extension is AA or AAC. Double-click “Music” if the podcast has an MP3 extension.
5. Drag and drop the podcast file onto an empty area of the Windows Explorer window.
6. Disconnect the Kindle from the computer.
7. Press the “Home” button, then the “Menu” button.
8. Tap “Experimental,” then “MP3 Player.” An MP3 player with standard controls will open.

Kindle First Generation

1. Download the podcast to your computer. Note the extension of the podcast file.
2. Connect the Kindle to your computer via USB cable.
3. Click the Start button, then “Computer” to open a Windows Explorer window. The Kindle will be listed under “Devices with Removable Storage.” Double-click it.
4. Double-click “Audible” if the podcast has an AA or AAC file extension. Double-click “Music” if it has an MP3 extension.
5. Drag and drop the podcast file onto an empty area of the Windows Explorer window.
6. Disconnect the Kindle from the computer.
7. Press the “Home” button. Use the selection wheel to select “Menu,” then “Experimental,” then “Play Music.” One of the audio files on the device will begin to play.

Solution 2: MP3 File

Find the site of the podcast you want to listen to, find the episode and download the mp3 file.

Example :

There must be a way to download the DIS Unplugged Podcast onto my new Kindle Fire HD. But I am not tech-savvy, and I need step-by-step instructions to do this. Is it possible to download it and listen to it without being connected to WiFi?

The answer is Yes. Downloading the podcasts should be no different than downloading any other mp3 file.

1. I went to the www.disunplugged.com page. I clicked through until I got to the Orlando podcast page. (You can do the same with the Disneyland podcast page, as well.)
2. Using this week’s podcast as an example, I had to click the “read more” button until I saw the breakdown of all three audio podcasts. I clicked “download mp3 file”. Immediately I noticed the Kindle Fire download update area showed a “1” update.
3. If you go to the download update area, you can click on the file there and it will automatically launch. Otherwise, you can click the Music tab and find it there. Mine was located at the very bottom of the Music page. 

Solution 3: Stitcher

Many people have come to associate their mobile devices as being audio devices. We download our music and podcasts to listen to while we are traveling and generally mobile. The Kindle Fire was designed as an e-reader first and tablet second. As such, the Kindle Fire doesn’t have an inherent ability to listen to podcasts. Stitcher, a free app, has been available for the iOS devices for a while and now is available on the Kindle Fire to fill this podcast void. In general, the Stitcher app is designed to provide streaming access to radio stations and podcasts.

When you launch the app, you get a simple splash screen and are then presented with the main menu.

Nothing too earth-shattering at this point, but they do have a nice clean interface to get you going in the direction you’re looking for!

If you select On Demand Shows, you are presented with a variety of categories to help you find recommended content that they have indexed. You’ll find fairly popular and nationally known shows and programs.

If you select “Live Radio” from the main menu, you are taken down a series of selections to perhaps find a local radio station. Here we selected “California”.

We then select the city “San Jose”.

We’re presented with a list of radio stations in the San Jose area, which Stitcher knows about and can stream. Select the station you are interested in, and it will begin streaming to your Kindle Fire!

Let’s select 94.5 KBAY.

Now we can head back to the main menu and select “Front Page”. The Front Page section provides a newspaper style view of audio and video that is perhaps newsworthy.

Once again, we’ll head back to the main menu, and select “My Favorites”. You are able to create “Stations” to group podcasts and other feeds.

Here we’ll select the “Favorites Station” which has some of my favorite podcasts as seen below.

Here we’ll select the “Mousetalgia! – An Unofficial Disneyland Podcast“, and it will begin streaming and buffering the latest episode. You are provided with a simple interface to stop, pause, etc. At the bottom, you’ll see recommendations for similar content as “Listeners Also Like”.

Additionally, you can tap the tab to see “Past Episodes”, if you are looking for earlier content from the publisher.

Finally, if you select the Kindle Fire menu button at the bottom of the screen, you are able to access customization settings are force a refresh of the content.

Overall, this is a great app to use as a portal to online media and doesn’t force you to use the limited storage space on your Kindle Fire. They seem to have spent the time to make a clean usable interface, without cluttering it with a lot of junk. It did feel as if there were a lot of clicks/taps to get to the live radio. I’ve often heard that a user should be able to get to the content they want in 3 clicks or less. Perhaps they could provide a zip-code search or similar since the Kindle Fire is unable to assist in the “Locate Nearby Stations” option.

Solution 4: Player.fm

Simplicity at its best! Player FM is a 100% free app, which gives you access to over 300,000 shows, right at your fingertips. Never again miss new episodes from your favorite shows with this perfect and worry-free app.

Each day, hundreds of episodes are being made, and new shows are being born. From daily news, politics, science, education, fitness, entertainment, music and tons of other shows, Player FM has something for you. Don’t be left out.

Solution 5: Podcast Republic

Podcast Republic is all you need to manage and play your podcasts, audiobooks, and YouTube channels/playlists. Even better, they’ve added the live radio streaming support! Just download it for free and enjoy your podcasts. 

With the syncing feature in the app, you can sync your podcast subscriptions and episode playback states between multiple devices! You can start playing an episode in one device and pick up from where you left in another device. All changes will be synced in real-time. Isn’t that what you are asking for a podcast app? 🙂

Solution 6: BeyondPod

BeyondPod is a paid app that gives you access to thousands of free audio and video shows from all over the world. You can search for podcasts or import them from popular sites like Feedly. The Kindle download can be found here.

With nearly 3 million downloads, BeyondPod’s streamlined interface and powerful controls give you easy access to millions of audio and video episodes from small publishers like local radio stations to “big name” publishers like CNN, ESPN, BBC, CBC.