FAQ
Find short answers to the questions PodNotes users ask most. Each answer links to the page that covers the topic in full.
Setup and installation
Section titled “Setup and installation”Where is the player?
Section titled “Where is the player?”Run PodNotes: Show player from the command palette. It opens the PodNotes view, and the full player when an episode is loaded. Show PodNotes, the podcast icon in the ribbon, opens the view only. While an episode is loaded, the mini player at the bottom of the view shows it. Select the mini player to open the full player. See Use the player. PodNotes opens the view by itself only once, on a new install. After that, Obsidian keeps the layout you left. On a phone, see Use PodNotes on your phone.
Why are some commands missing?
Section titled “Why are some commands missing?”Most commands appear only while an episode is loaded. A paused episode counts, and so does the episode PodNotes shows when Obsidian starts. PodNotes: Create episode note needs Episode note path and Episode note template. With both set, it appears when an episode is loaded or you have added a podcast. The transcribe commands need an audio episode and a connection. PodNotes: Show player, PodNotes: Reorder Queue, and the capture commands are always available. Commands lists what each command needs.
What changes when I update to 2.22.0?
Section titled “What changes when I update to 2.22.0?”The PodNotes view, the player, and the settings are redesigned, and your devices merge their changes into one library. Update PodNotes on every device before you use it there. Update to 2.22.0 lists what to do.
How do I install a beta version or install manually?
Section titled “How do I install a beta version or install manually?”Install a beta version with the BRAT plugin, or copy a release’s files into your vault by hand. Other ways to install has the steps for both.
Podcasts and feeds
Section titled “Podcasts and feeds”Which podcasts can I add?
Section titled “Which podcasts can I add?”Any podcast with an RSS feed. In the PodNotes view, select Add podcast, then search the Apple Podcasts directory by name, or paste an RSS feed URL or an Apple Podcasts show link. A show missing from search can still work if you paste its RSS feed URL. See Add and play podcasts.
Can I add Spotify exclusives or YouTube links?
Section titled “Can I add Spotify exclusives or YouTube links?”No. PodNotes plays RSS feeds and cannot open Spotify or YouTube pages. A show that exists only inside Spotify or another app has no feed to add. If the publisher also offers an RSS feed, add that feed.
Can I use a private feed?
Section titled “Can I use a private feed?”Yes, if your provider gives you a personal RSS feed address. Add the podcast with the whole address. PodNotes cannot sign in to providers that require a browser login. PodNotes keeps the private addresses it recognizes on each device, out of your synced vault, so you enter such an address once on each other device with Set feed address. See Use private feeds.
Can I annotate my own audio or video?
Section titled “Can I annotate my own audio or video?”Yes. Play an audio or video file from your vault in PodNotes, then capture timestamps and create an episode note as with any episode. See Play your own audio and video for the steps and the file types PodNotes plays.
Notes and timestamps
Section titled “Notes and timestamps”Why are my timestamps plain text?
Section titled “Why are my timestamps plain text?”Your Timestamp template uses {{time}}, which inserts plain text.
Installs set up before PodNotes 2.21.0 keep the old default, which uses {{time}}. New installs use {{linktime}}, which inserts a link that plays the episode from that moment.
In Settings → PodNotes, under Notes, set Timestamp template to - {{linktime}} with a space at the end. If it already uses {{linktime}}, the cause is the episode. It has no feed or local file to link to, or it comes from a private feed that you have not added. See Make timestamps clickable.
Can I take notes on an episode I listen to in another app?
Section titled “Can I take notes on an episode I listen to in another app?”Yes. Add the podcast to PodNotes, then create the note from the episode’s menu. The episode does not have to play. See Create a note for another episode. Timestamps come from the PodNotes player, so to capture them, play the episode in PodNotes. For notes about a whole show, use a podcast note. See Create a podcast note.
Do headset buttons control PodNotes?
Section titled “Do headset buttons control PodNotes?”Yes, on a computer, while an episode is loaded. Play and pause work, the skip buttons jump by your skip lengths, and by default the previous-track action, often a triple press, captures a timestamp. You choose what the previous-track and next-track actions do under Headset and lock screen in Settings → PodNotes. Not every headset sends every action. On an iPhone or iPad, the same controls should work, but they are not tested yet. On Android, Obsidian does not pass headset buttons or lock screen controls to PodNotes. See Control playback from a headset or the lock screen.
Devices and sync
Section titled “Devices and sync”Do downloads sync with my vault?
Section titled “Do downloads sync with my vault?”Downloads are files in your vault, so they sync only if your sync service includes them.
Syncing PodNotes’ data.json alone does not move the audio or video. File types and size limits depend on your sync service.
See Downloads on another device.
What happens to notes and links when I remove a download?
Section titled “What happens to notes and links when I remove a download?”Your notes and timestamps stay. Timestamp links point at the feed and the episode, so they stream the episode again while the feed still lists it. Links to your own media files need only the file in your vault. See Removed downloads and existing links.
Can I listen offline?
Section titled “Can I listen offline?”Yes, to episodes you downloaded and to your own media files. Offline, the PodNotes view shows Offline, and lists split into Available offline and Needs a connection. Podcast search, refreshing feeds, and transcription need a connection. See Listen offline.
Does playback progress sync between devices?
Section titled “Does playback progress sync between devices?”Yes, when your sync service syncs plugin data. PodNotes saves progress, podcasts, playlists, and settings in data.json, and merges the changes your devices make. A paused player takes the synced position by itself. When you switch devices, pause on the device you leave and follow Use PodNotes on two devices, so that a device that is still playing does not replace your progress.
If PodNotes shows a notice that it cannot save, see Fix save problems.
API keys and the private feed addresses that PodNotes recognizes stay on each device. See Sync between devices.
Transcription
Section titled “Transcription”Does transcription cost money?
Section titled “Does transcription cost money?”Not for a podcast you added, when its feed lists a transcript in a format that PodNotes reads. PodNotes saves that transcript for free, with no API key. To transcribe the audio, PodNotes uses your own OpenAI or Deepgram account, and the provider bills you for API use. Plain transcripts use OpenAI Whisper. Speaker diarization uses OpenAI or Deepgram. PodNotes does not import transcripts from Apple Podcasts. See What transcription costs.