What the Apple pre-flight check validates before you submit

It is easy to paste a feed URL into Apple Podcasts Connect and only discover later that the show is missing artwork, a category, or a public episode. Podcast Studio’s Apple Pre-flight Check moves that basic inspection earlier, while the fixes are still in your Shows and Distribution screens.

Run it before you submit. It does not replace Apple’s review, but it can keep you from submitting a package that was incomplete by your own standards.

Where to run it

Open Podcast Studio, go to Distribution, and find your show’s Apple Podcasts card. Choose Pre-flight Check. Fix anything it reports, then copy the RSS feed URL from Distribution when the show is ready.

The actual submission remains on Apple’s side. Sign in at podcastsconnect.apple.com, add the show with the feed URL, and follow Apple’s review process. Pre-flight is a readiness check, not an automatic submission.

Feed validity and a public episode

Apple needs a valid podcast RSS feed, not a marketing page URL. The feed also needs a public item to represent the show. Draft and scheduled episodes do not appear until they are published, so publish at least one episode you are comfortable having directories read before you submit.

If the feed URL is missing, save the Show with a valid RSS slug and complete its settings first. Use Distribution’s copy control rather than typing a long address from memory; one character in the wrong place can create a confusing failure.

Artwork and category

Pre-flight flags missing artwork so you can add cover art to the Show before Apple sees the feed. Treat that image as the show’s identity, not as a placeholder you will replace after launch.

It also checks whether the show has a category. Choose the category that describes the program you actually publish. Directories use it for cataloguing and browsing, so leaving it blank makes a finished show look unfinished.

Explicit flags and show identity

The Contains explicit content setting is metadata that affects how directories and parental controls handle the show. Set it honestly for the program you run. A flag that is too low creates a bad surprise; a flag that is too high misrepresents the audience you are trying to reach.

Pre-flight also surfaces description and other completeness problems. Revisit the fields set under Shows: title, description, author, email, language, website, artwork, category, and explicit flag. Distribution cannot invent those details on submission day.

A clean submit-day sequence

1. Publish at least one episode and confirm that it appears in the feed.
2. Run Pre-flight Check on the Apple Podcasts card.
3. Fix feed, artwork, category, explicit flag, description, and other issues it reports.
4. Copy the RSS URL from Distribution.
5. Paste it into Apple Podcasts Connect and submit for Apple’s review.
6. After approval, paste the public Apple Podcasts URL back into Podcast Studio.

Apple controls its review timing. You control whether the show arrives with the basic information already in place.

What a clean check does not promise

A passing check is not an Apple approval, a guarantee of immediate directory availability, or a substitute for reading Apple’s own requirements. It tells you that the common problems Podcast Studio can see have been addressed. Apple still owns the catalogue decision and any account or review questions on its side.

Keep the show identity stable after submission. If you change the feed, artwork, or show details later, give the directory time to read the updated information and check the result from the feed rather than assuming every app updates at the same moment.

Run Pre-flight Check before Podcasts Connect. Validation is cheaper before submission.

Feed validity, artwork, category, explicit flags, and complete identity fields are not busywork. They are the small pieces that let a directory treat your show as a real catalogue entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does Pre-flight Check submit the show to Apple?

No. It checks readiness inside Podcast Studio. You still copy the RSS URL into Apple Podcasts Connect and complete Apple's review process.

What should I fix before submitting?

Resolve missing show identity fields, invalid cover art, missing published episode data, or feed errors reported by the check.