What is User Agent?
A user agent is a text string sent with every HTTP request that identifies the software making the request. In podcast analytics, user agents reveal which apps, devices, and operating systems your listeners use to consume your content.
Anatomy of a Podcast User Agent:
AppleCoreMedia/1.0.0.21G93 (iPhone; U; CPU OS 17_5_1 like Mac OS X)
This example tells us:
- App: AppleCoreMedia (Apple Podcasts)
- Version: 1.0.0.21G93
- Device: iPhone
- OS: iOS 17.5.1
Common Podcast App User Agents:
| App | Example User Agent Pattern |
|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts | AppleCoreMedia/... or Podcasts/... |
| Spotify | Spotify/... |
| Overcast | Overcast/... |
| Pocket Casts | PocketCasts/... |
| Castro | Castro/... |
| Google Podcasts | GoogleChirp/... |
| Amazon Music | AmazonMusic/... |
| Podcast Addict | PodcastAddict/... |
| Browser/Web | Mozilla/... (various browsers) |
User Agents in IAB Measurement:
The IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines use user agents for two critical purposes:
-
Unique Listener Calculation: Combined with IP address, user agents help distinguish individual listeners:
Unique Listener = IP Address + User Agent -
Bot Filtering: The IAB/ABC International Spiders & Bots List contains thousands of known bot user agent patterns that must be filtered from download counts.
Bot vs. Legitimate User Agents:
Legitimate podcast apps identify themselves clearly:
Overcast/3.0 (+http://overcast.fm/; Apple Watch podcast app)
Bots often have telltale signs:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)
python-requests/2.28.0
curl/7.84.0
Why It Matters
User agent data provides actionable insights for podcasters:
Audience Platform Intelligence
Understanding where your listeners tune in helps you:
- Prioritize features: If 60% of listeners use Apple Podcasts, ensure your show looks great there
- Test playback: Verify your episodes work properly on top apps
- Leverage platform features: Use Spotify polls if you have significant Spotify audience
- Troubleshoot issues: Identify if problems affect specific apps
Typical Podcast App Distribution (2024-2025):
| Platform | Approximate Share |
|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts | 35-45% |
| Spotify | 25-35% |
| Other Apps (Overcast, Pocket Casts, etc.) | 15-25% |
| Browser/Web Players | 5-10% |
| Smart Speakers | 3-8% |
Varies significantly by show category and audience demographics
Strategic Implications:
- Apple-heavy audience: Focus on Apple Podcasts SEO, ratings/reviews matter more
- Spotify-heavy audience: Leverage Spotify-exclusive features (video, polls, Q&A)
- Diverse app mix: Ensure broad compatibility, avoid platform-specific features
- Web player usage: Invest in your website player experience
Device Insights:
User agents also reveal device types:
- Mobile vs. Desktop: Most podcasts are 80-90% mobile
- iOS vs. Android: Affects app recommendations and troubleshooting
- Smart Speakers: Growing segment, audio-only optimization matters
- Wearables: Apple Watch listeners (shorter sessions, different context)
Data Quality Indicator:
User agent patterns can reveal data issues:
- High "unknown" percentage may indicate tracking problems
- Unusual bot traffic appears as suspicious user agents
- Sudden shifts might indicate feed scraping or aggregation
How to Use This in Dispatch
Dispatch provides detailed user agent analytics to help you understand your audience:
App Breakdown See which podcast apps your listeners use:
- Percentage breakdown by app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, etc.)
- Trend over time (is Spotify share growing?)
- Episode-level app distribution
Device & Platform Understand the technical context:
- Mobile vs. desktop split
- iOS vs. Android distribution
- Operating system versions
- Smart speaker and wearable usage
How We Process User Agents:
- Parsing: Extract app name, version, device, and OS from raw strings
- Categorization: Group similar patterns (e.g., all Apple Podcasts versions)
- Bot Filtering: Match against IAB/ABC bot list and remove non-human traffic
- Aggregation: Calculate percentages and trends
Using This Data:
- Sponsor reports: Show advertisers which platforms reach your audience
- Technical decisions: Prioritize testing on your top platforms
- Feature adoption: Decide whether to use platform-specific features
- Troubleshooting: Identify if issues affect specific apps
Privacy Note: User agent data is aggregated and anonymized. We report app and device statistics without tracking individual listeners across sessions.