How to listen to the ‘Dirty John’ podcast

The Times this week is running “Dirty John,” a six-part narrative series. The stories are accompanied by a six-part podcast.

How do I listen to a podcast?

If you have a smartphone, the most convenient way is to listen on an app, like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher (iOS | Android), iHeartRadio (iOS | Android) or TuneIn (iOS | Android). These and other podcast players allow you to “subscribe” to different podcasts, so that you will be notified every time a new episode is released.

You can also listen to podcasts on your computer, by going to a podcast’s website.

Are podcasts free? If so, why do I have to ‘subscribe’?

The majority of podcasts are free to listen. The word “subscribe” simply means that you will be getting notified about new episodes of a podcast, or you can chose to have them automatically downloaded to your phone.

How do I find new podcasts?

Most people learn about new podcasts via recommendation, then search by name. You can also browse by category or genre. Most apps have a ranking of popular podcasts, as well as a “Featured” section, which includes recommendations from the app’s editorial team.