Podcasts are more popular than ever, but where should you turn your ears for the best news, views, insights and chat?
Our list of 2019’s best podcasts pulls together everything from insightful analysis and security breach breakdowns to general tips and chat shows about the latest goings on in the world of technology.
There’s really something for anyone involved in the tech industry, so why not have a listen?
How to listen to podcasts
To get started, download a podcasting app. We rate the cross-platform Castbox (castbox.fm), but iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts are also great options. If you’re strictly into BBC podcasts, Auntie recently unveiled BBC Sounds for instant access. Next, start searching.
Most podcasts are available on every platform, but switch to another app if you can’t find your show. And don’t forget to hit the download button when you’re connected to Wi-Fi – streaming podcasts chews through your mobile data.
Tech thoughts & tips
PC Pro
A shameless plug on behalf of our sister title. Hosted by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Tim Danton and featuring Web User columnist Barry Collins, the PC Pro podcast is like an hour-long fireside chat, as tech experts demystify technology’s latest trends and topics. With new episodes debuting fortnight, you’re never short of opinions and views.
Clockwise
Clockwise’s setup is simple: “Four people. Four tech topics. Thirty minutes”. Affable hosts Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren take the lead, joined by a rotating panel to discuss everything from the state of social media to smart toilets. You can catch up with Clockwise every Wednesday.
Chips with Everything
The Guardian’s Chips with Everything is a snack-sized show that’s deliciously filling. Part interview, part documentary, episodes run between 20 to 30 minutes – just enough time for host Jordan Erica Webber to take a sideways glance at today’s technology trends, and its world-altering impact.
Internet of Things
If you’re after some breezy chat, tech journalist Stacey Higginbotham’s Internet of Things podcast is not for you. This weekly show is geared towards a tech-smart audience interested in consumer and business technology, platforms, privacy and politics. Expert guests also offer tips and advice in this hour-long podcast.
Internet culture
IRL
“Online life is real life”, is the strapline of In Real Life – a bi-monthly podcast produced by Mozilla (of Firefox fame). Unlike most tech podcasts, IRL isn’t a talking shop. You’ll hear real-life stories, like the community who built a better internet or the girl paid to write messages on Tinder.
Reply All
Reply All is investigative journalism for the internet, exploring online phenomenon such as the ‘Instagram for Doctors’ app, Tinder weirdos or message-board mysteries. As one testimonial puts it, “it’s a podcast that tells gorgeous, painfully human stories that happen to have bits of technology sprinkled in”.
This is Only a Test
This is Only a Test is the official podcast for Tested.com – the tech, science and geek culture site run by TV’s former Mythbuster Adam Savage. TIOAT is a rambling 90-minute show that, like its parent site, covers “anything that’s awesome”. You can also watch it on YouTube.
Deeper insights
Twenty Thousand Hertz
Twenty Thousand Hertz studies the history of world-famous audio – from jingles to sound effects and startup noises – and why they’re so effective. Produced by an award-winning sound-design studio (so they certainly know their onions), the podcasts range between 20 and 30 minutes, and feature in-depth interviews that cut through the noise.
Bloomberg’s Decrypted
As you’d expect from the business-orientated Bloomberg, Decrypted offers serious, in-depth reports. These are ‘peek-behind-the-curtain’ podcasts that shine a light on varied global technology topics like how Facebook’s ads really work or why bitcoin still matters. Experts are interviewed, data extrapolated and secrets uncovered, all in just 30 minutes.
TechStuff
For 10 years HowStuffWorks.com’s TechStuff, hosted by Jonathan Strickland, has served up fascinating insights into technology old and new (one week it’s AI, the next it’s DARPA). Where topics span beyond the 40-minute run-time, they’re chopped into multiple episodes. The show occasionally reruns TechStuff Classic podcasts, so newcomers don’t miss out.
TED Talks
TED Talks is to podcasts what Stephen Fry is to Twitter – it’s the iconic ‘brand’ that everyone follows. With its vast range of topics and experts, enjoy eye-opening content that changes the way you see the world. If you’re pushed for time, check out the bite-sized Ted Talks Daily.
Topical tech chat
BBC Click
The BBC has loads of science and technology podcasts, but start out with the World Service’s Click. This weekly podcast (effectively a 40-minute radio show), covers global technology news. As with most Beeb content, podcasts are only available for 30 days before they’re wiped.
TheVergeCast
The Verge team gather every Friday night to discuss the stories behind the week’s news. It’s chilled-out weekly news round-up; just a few friends gabbing about technology. Interspersed throughout the week are reviews and event coverage. Episodes range between 30-minutes up to a whopping 90-minutes.
This Week in Google
Google’s products and services dominate the internet. And the TWiG team – Leo, Jeff, and the IoT podcast’s Stacey Higginbotham – are giving the tech firm the hard-eye. Don’t expect fanboyism. This Week in Google is fair-minded, unafraid of calling out Google’s missteps or praising their successes.
The Two Technies
Each Saturday, the Two Techies Aaron and Jamie, make sense of events in the tech world. Given that it’s two mates having a chat, it’s a well-polished production. Each ep lasts “around an hour or less”, and sometimes features well-known ‘techie’ guests – most notably Apple guru Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak.
Future technology
Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything
Using technology news as a launchpad (think quantum computing, cryptocurrencies and cyber-attacks), the WSJ’s Future of Everything takes a 20-minute gander at where our digital future lies. For instance, if voting machines can be hacked, could we one day vote on our smartphones?
Future Tense
The Australian Broadcasting Company’s Future Tense is a podcast for those right on the bleeding-edge of technology. Discover how the very latest tech is transforming our culture and our lives. Given its broadcasting background, Future Tense has that serious news vibe, focusing on interviews with leading experts and insiders.
Security breach
Latest Hacking News
Clocking in at six minutes apiece, Latest Hacking News is the quickest ways to catch up on the day’s cyber-security news. It’s aimed at IT professionals (they use terms that’ll send you scurrying for Google), but that gives it absolute authority. Check out the website for additional news coverage.
Hackable
Hackable is brought to you by godfathers of the anti-virus, McAfee. Over the course of 30 minutes, the cybercrime podcast reveals the many ways we’re vulnerable to hackers. Let’s put it this way: after listening to Hackable, you’ll never go near another virtual reality unit.
Smashing Security
Winner of the ‘Best Security Podcast 2018’, Smashing Security claims it’s “not your typical cybersecurity podcast”. It’s a light-hearted round-table chat about hacking, cybercrime and online privacy that brings some much-needed levity to an otherwise serious subject.