Why isn't auto download working for the iphone Podcast app? On my iphone, I use the Podcasts app and I have all of my podcasts set to auto subscribe and auto download.  When I check the app in the morning, I see new podcasts showing up but there is a button with an arrow button next to them to show me there is something new that i can download. (see picture below).  So the autosubscribe is working but the autodownload is not.

When i click on that button below, it then says . ."Preparing to download". and then it eventually downloads if I wait long enough.



That is not my understanding on what "auto download" means to me.  Is there anything that I am doing wrong ?  How can I have it where it will literally automatically download new podcasts to my iphone when they appear online without me having to manually click anything on that particular podcast so I can just see it and start listening to it without it having to download or stream at that time.
Go to Settings, then scroll down and tap on Podcasts app icon:



So I'm assuming you turned "Auto-Downloads" on...

Then tap "Episodes to Keep" and specify which episodes you want to keep. (Depending on your listening habits, I'd not keep this setting on "All" because it can quickly eat up your available memory. Mine is set on "Last 3 Episodes" which gives me plenty of time to listen to them.)

Then go back. To address your issue you may want to turn on "Use Cellular Data" which is Off by default. What might happen in your case is that your phone disconnects from WiFi when it's not on. (This is done to conserve battery.) But in this case this setting will prevent the Podcast app from auto-downloading. Keep in mind though, that turning this setting on can quickly use up your cellular plan's data limit. So check with your cellular provider if you have enough data quota to last your billing cycle without incurring additional charges.