Frequently Asked Questions:
The Extra Ball

It’s normally one of these things:

1. Your subscription isn’t active. This is normally due to a failed payment for the subscription. It happens! The website will automatically suspend your access if your sub isn’t active. It can be easily rectified by making the missed payment. You can check your account status here.

2. If your account all looks ok then it’s likely the website has signed you out. This can happen occasionally due to server or software updates. This can be sorted out by deleting the podcast from your chosen podcast app and then adding it again, as per the instructions on this page.

If those steps don’t fix it then get in touch and we’ll look into it.

Our podcasts work by giving you a private web address – called an API Key – that is unique to you. Simply copy and paste your API Key into any podcast player that allows you to manually add a podcast. (Please note this isn’t supported by Spotify at this time.)

The process will differ slightly from app to app, but is fundamentally the same for all. (For example, in Apple Podcasts you can manually add a podcast by going to Library > Shows > Edit > Add a Show by URL.)

When you’re ready to add the podcast:

1. On the TSB website, from the top menu go to Info > My Account > API Keys
2. Select and then copy the API Key you see. It’ll look something like this; a web address with a long string of random numbers and letters at the end:

https://www.thesquareball.net/feed/tsb-podcast-extra-ball/?key=0xx00x000000x00000x0000x0xx0x0000xx00xxx

4. Open your podcast player, select to manually add a show as described above, and paste your API Key into the address box

If you have any problems, drop us a line here.

Pocket Casts makes things a bit more fiddly. You need to follow their instructions here: https://support.pocketcasts.com/article/password-protected-podcasts/

We’re working on easier ways to add feeds, but if you have any problems, give us a shout here.

It’s straightforward process:

1. Open the Apple Podcasts app
2. Press the Library button at the bottom
3. Press Edit in the top right hand corner
4. Select Add a Show by URL…
5. Enter this in the Podcast URL box (copy and paste it from here): https://www.thesquareball.net/feed/tsb-podcast-extra-ball/
6. Enter the username and password you use on The Square Ball website. Your username is normally your email address.

Then, provided your subscription remains active, it’ll work like any other podcast in the Apple Podcasts app. As always, if you get stuck you can always drop us a message.

Sorry, no. Spotify don’t support adding password protected feeds, so it won’t work with subscription podcasts like The Extra Ball. Our free podcast works just fine on Spotify, though. Just press here and it’ll open right away.