Apple Core Media refers to a range of podcast apps running on iOS devices.

When a podcast is downloaded, Spreaker logs a request that includes a “User Agent String” indicating which application was used for the download.

Frequently, we see “Apple Core Media” in these logs, suggesting the download took place on an Apple device. However, it’s difficult to know for certain whether it was the Apple Podcasts app or another developer’s app utilizing this default User Agent String.

While we cannot confirm with absolute certainty, it’s likely that the majority of downloads attributed to Apple Core Media originate from either the default Podcasts app running on devices with “old” iOS versions, or Custom podcast listening apps running on iOS devices.

More details on Apple Core Media can be found here.