How to start a podcast with just your phone (and $0)

You have a phone and no budget. That’s enough: the apps already on your phone and a free podcast host can put a show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Here’s how to start a podcast with just your phone, on iPhone or Android, with the catch at every step.

Can you really start a podcast with just your phone?

Yes. As of October 2026, Spotify’s own help page suggests “the voice recorder built into your phone” to get started. (Spotify for Creators’ own recording and editing tools are gone.)

You’ll see 2 words a lot:

• A podcast host stores your audio files and makes your RSS feed. It isn’t a listening app like Apple Podcasts. (Spotify does both.)
• An RSS feed is the web address, made by your host, that apps like Apple Podcasts read to get your episodes. See what is a podcast RSS feed.

Your $0 phone-only setup at a glance

Prices and requirements as of October 2026.

How to start a podcast with just your phone, step by step

Step 1: Find the quietest room

Soft things soak up echo. Hard, bare rooms bounce it back.

Before: you record in the kitchen, phone flat on the table. The fridge hums under every sentence, and your voice bounces off the tiles.

After: you move to a small bedroom with a bed, curtains and a rug. You hold the phone close, at the same distance every take. No fridge hum, and much less echo.

Test it: record 30 seconds in each room and compare on headphones.

Step 2: Record on iPhone or Android

iPhone: open Voice Memos (in the Utilities folder). Tap the record button to start and the stop button to finish. Apple says your distance from the mic sets the level, so keep it steady.

Android: use your phone’s own recorder. On a Pixel 3 or later, that’s Google’s Recorder: tap Record, then Pause when you’re done, and save. Galaxy phones have Samsung’s free Voice Recorder.

Step 3: Trim and edit on the phone

iPhone: in Voice Memos, tap the recording, tap the More button, then the Trim button. Drag the yellow handles around the part to keep. Tap Trim, then Apply and Done. To keep the original safe, choose Save as New Recording.

Pixel: tap the recording, open the menu and choose Crop & Remove. Select the part to keep, tap Crop, then Save copy.

Want music or a co-host’s file in the same episode? You need a multi-track editor, which stacks audio files on separate rows called tracks. GarageBand for iPhone is free, holds up to 32 tracks, and needs iOS 26 or later and 1.9 GB of space.

Before importing from the Files app, set GarageBand’s song section length to Automatic, or it brings in only part of the file.

Audacity (opens in a new tab) is free too, but only if you also have a computer. Its download page lists Windows, macOS and Linux, with no phone version.

Step 4: Make cover art

Apple wants a square image, 3000 x 3000 pixels, PNG or JPG, with no see-through areas. Its feed accepts 1400 to 3000 pixels. Leave out Apple logos and hardware.

Make your show’s name readable at thumbnail size. The Canva (opens in a new tab) app is free to download on iPhone and Android, with paid extras inside.

Step 5: Pick a free host and upload

As of October 2026, Spotify for Creators (opens in a new tab) is free hosting with free uploads and storage. Its shows go to Spotify automatically, and its app uploads from your phone. Verify your account from Spotify’s sign-up email before your first episode can go out.

Then add your Step 4 cover art. In the Spotify for Creators app, tap Podcast, then Edit Details, then your show’s cover art. Pick your image and tap Save.

Buzzsprout (opens in a new tab)’s free plan is the other $0 option. It gives you 2 hours of uploads a month, and each episode stays up only 90 days. Spotify lists it as a partner host, so you’d follow Buzzsprout’s guide to get on Spotify.

Before: you’ve trimmed a 20-minute episode in Voice Memos. You think you need a computer to “export” it.

After:

1. In Voice Memos, share the recording and tap Save to Files. Apple says recordings export as .m4a files by default.
2. In the Spotify for Creators app, tap Podcast, then +, then Select a file.
3. Pick the .m4a. Spotify accepts MP3, M4A and WAV audio, so it uploads as it is.

On Android: share the recording as an audio file (Google’s help page shows how). Check that it ends in .mp3, .m4a or .wav.

Step 6: Get on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: with Spotify for Creators, you’re done. If your show doesn’t appear, read why is my podcast not showing up on Spotify.

Apple Podcasts: you need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication and a valid payment method on it. Apple says “You won’t be charged until you make a purchase.” Then:

1. Publish your first episode. That’s when Spotify creates your RSS feed.
2. Log in at creators.spotify.com and open Settings, then Availability. On a phone, tap the menu first.
3. Enable your feed under RSS Distribution. Spotify warns this makes your email address public.
4. In Apple Podcasts Connect (podcastsconnect.apple.com), choose Add (+), then New Show, then Add a show with an RSS feed. Paste your feed’s address.
5. Check your show’s details, then publish.

Apple checks and reviews your show before it appears.

If you’re recording with someone else

Before: 1 shared phone, so whoever sits closer sounds louder.

After: you each record on your own phone, held close. Clap once when both phones are recording, and again at the end. In GarageBand (or Audacity on a computer), put each file on its own track. Slide one until the first claps (sharp spikes) line up.

Compare podcast setups for 2 people at 3 budgets.

Using 2 mics on 1 computer? Read can you use two USB mics at the same time.

Co-host far away, or end claps out of line? Read how to record a podcast with 2 people in different locations.

On a call, you both need headphones. Here’s why podcasters wear headphones.

Want video too?

Spotify for Creators takes MOV, MPG and MP4 video, but as of October 2026, only on its website, not the app. Other podcast apps get the audio. Camera shy? Start with how to get comfortable talking to a camera. Filming on iPhone? Use these iPhone camera settings for YouTube.

When to spend your first $100

You don’t need to buy anything to start. When you’re ready, start with a clip-on mic. It sits close to your mouth, so it hears mostly you, not the room. Apple says Voice Memos can record from an external mic.

Our pick is the Hollyland LARK M2S “Duo with USB-C Plug”. It has 2 clip-on mics (Hollyland calls them transmitters) and a USB-C receiver for your phone. That’s 1 mic for you and 1 for a co-host.

It was $99 on Hollyland’s US store on October 19, 2026. That was a sale price, down from $164, so check it before you buy.

Check your port first. Apple says iPhone 15 and later models have USB-C, which the Duo’s receiver needs. With a Lightning iPhone, get Hollyland’s Combo ($124, also on sale). It adds a camera receiver and a USB-C to Lightning cable. TechRadar says the cable connects the camera receiver to older Apple devices: USB-C end into the receiver, Lightning end into your iPhone.

We haven’t tested this kit hands-on. Our pick is based on Hollyland’s published specs and TechRadar’s review of the Combo kit. The review lists 3 downsides: the charging case feels rattly, the sound depends on your device, and the mics can’t record on their own.

Common mistakes

• Recording in a noisy or echoey room. Fridges, fans and bare walls end up in the file. If your softest room still sounds distant, read why does my mic sound far away.
• Changing your distance mid-episode. Lean back and you get quieter. Keep the same distance from start to end.
• Letting a call or alert into the take. Turn on Do Not Disturb first. On iPhone, open Control Center, tap Focus, then Do Not Disturb. On Android, swipe down from the top and tap Do Not Disturb (menus vary by phone, Google notes).
• Uploading without listening to the end. Play the whole file before you upload. Spotify’s upload troubleshooting includes checking that it plays properly on your device.

What to do next

• Record a 2-minute test in your quietest room today, then play it back on headphones.
• Read is it too late to start a podcast if you’re worried there are too many shows already.