I have set up 3 separate podcasts for clients over the last few months. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME, we run into the same issue where creating an Apple ID and connecting it to Apple Podcast Connect puts us in a loop where "Something went wrong, please try again later."

There is no later. The process doesn't work. You need to verify using a phone number and add a payment method...through iTunes? And then you get stuck again.

This results in a 2-hour tech support call where the rep does...SOMETHING(?) on the backend to activate the account and finally get Podcast Connect set with the Apple ID.

EVERY other podcast platform takes 20 seconds to set up. Create account, connect the feed, verify via email, and you're good to go.

Does anyone have insight into this? Is there anyone who works at Apple (beyond the call center) who can explain why it has become a WEEKS-LONG process to put a podcast on Apple these days? It's honestly embarrassing to go through this with new clients every damn time.

I started using Spotify for my podcast a couple of months ago and it couldn’t have been simpler, so I thought I’d expand to Apple Podcasts. What a mistake that appears to have been! I’m just an individual, not charging anything, not selling anything, so why am I having to provide a ton of details about myself as a legal entity? Have I misunderstood something or gone down the wrong path somewhere or is getting a podcast onto Apple really this difficult? Any advice - or sympathy - gratefully received!