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YouTube is getting serious about podcasts
Podcasters can now upload to YouTube via RSS, potentially vastly multiplying audio-only content for listeners
2023 was a tumultuous year for Google that saw many apps and service shutdowns while the company focused on AI. The plug was pulled on Google Podcasts, nudging creators towards YouTube and YouTube Music instead. The transition will finish in April, but the process of uploading content still isn’t optimized for podcasts. Google seems eager to rectify this, and is finally making it easy for podcasters to upload older episodes to YouTube, especially if they rely on RSS feeds for distribution.
How to move your Google Podcasts shows to YouTube Music
With a few months left for Google Podcasts to die, it is time to move your podcasts to YouTube Music
Google Podcasts is the latest product from the search giant to be discontinued. YouTube Music will replace Google's existing podcasting service in April 2024 and become its centralized podcast destination. If you are a heavy YouTube Music user, using the same service for listening to podcasts on your Android phone makes sense.
Google just made it easier to migrate your Podcasts content to YouTube Music
Limited to US listeners for now
YouTube Music has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years. However, the gradual introduction of podcasts on the platform meant that there was no place left for Google Podcasts. A September announcement confirmed the inevitable, with Google later revealing that Podcasts would be effectively replaced by YouTube Music by April 2024. In the meantime, people will have to consider migration plans to port over their content to YouTube Music. Google is now kickstarting that process by letting listeners in the US export their subscriptions from the Podcasts app onto YouTube Music.
Google kills apps and services all the time, and its dedicated Podcasts app is next on the block, with podcasts being moved into the YouTube Music app. Many people are upset by the news, but I'm in the minority who think this transition is worth it to have proper podcast integration in YouTube Music.
How to play podcasts in chronological order on Android and iOS
Some podcasts need to be listened to in chronological order: Here's how you can make that happen
Do you listen to your favorite podcast on your iPhone or Android device? If you do, you know that keeping things in order is important. Whether it's a book podcast by the chapter, a true crime podcast where every episode counts, or a special miniseries about a particular topic, you'll want to listen to every episode in order.
YouTube Music will finally replace Google Podcasts for good in April 2024
Maybe that's enough time for YouTube Music to become a good podcast player
Although dedicated podcast listeners — such as myself — may appreciate keeping their library of shows separated from their music collection, it seems like the vast majority of casual listeners appreciate everything being thrown into a single app. That's the message Google sent, anyway, when it announced Google Podcasts was on the chopping block for 2024, with YouTube Music becoming its "centralized podcasting destination" (sigh). Now we know exactly when that transition is happening, and it's sooner than you might think.
Podcasts attract an ever-increasing number of listeners around the globe, and for good reason. It's an excellent source of entertainment and an opportunity to learn something new. They're also convenient to listen to on the go, be it on a smartphone or a portable Android tablet.
YouTube Music update brings automatic podcast downloads
It's now easier to save episodes for offline binging
In today's media-driven world, our hunger for new content is insatiable. You can see this most clearly in the podcast arena, where popularity continues to surge and new features are constantly being added to the various platforms where podcasts are available. Now, there's a buzz around some new developments from YouTube Music, which recently became Google's de facto home for podcast content.
Google Podcasts will die in 2024
The dedicated app will be replaced with YouTube Music's podcast abilities
Google has announced today that it will discontinue Google Podcasts in favor of YouTube Music, which will be the company's "centralized podcast destination." The business hasn't shared a firm shutdown date just yet, but mentioned that it will happen sometime in 2024. Google Podcasts will continue to function normally until that time.
Google Podcasts is available on Android and iOS devices. While lacking in some features, it's still a great competitor to some of the best podcast apps like Spotify. It has all the basic features you need to listen to your favorite podcast episodes on the go.
Google Search makes it harder to find and listen to podcasts
Search won’t show quick links to Google Podcasts anymore
Some of the most popular entertainment apps out there have sections devoted to curating the best podcasts for their users. Spotify, Apple Music, and Google are no strangers to the importance of podcasts. In fact, Google spun off long-form audio content into a dedicated Google Podcasts app pre-installed on Pixel phones. The service was also tightly integrated into Google Search, but it has recently disappeared without any explanation.
It took Google a long time to include a podcast app on Android by default, eventually building one directly into its mobile search application. It's become surprisingly popular thanks to its ease of use and free accessibility, and it's about to look a whole lot better too. Fresh off of some changes to its core UI, Google Podcasts is next up for its Material You makeover, and it's looking pretty spiffy if we do say so ourselves.
Google Podcasts gets a fresh UI that simplifies sorting through your endless library of episodes
The 'Activity' tab is dead, long live the 'Library' tab
Google Podcasts might not be everyone's first choice in podcast apps, but it's become a pretty popular service with Android users nevertheless. Throughout the last couple of years, it's gained a proper playback panel and support for custom RSS feeds, making it feel a lot more complete than its initial barebones launch. A new design is now arriving on Android devices, providing some minor but notable tweaks to Google's podcast player.
Google Podcasts on the web is picking up a welcome feature from the Android app
The episode listening queue is now available via desktop browsers
Google's Podcasts client is surprisingly good. It's a nice alternative to the more established options, especially if you're looking for something simple and straightforward. Podcasts is available either on the web via desktop browsers, or as a dedicated mobile app on Android and iOS, with your audio subscriptions and progress saved in both. But before now, the saved playlist of episodes available on the app wasn't visible on the web. Now it is. Neat.
Google Podcasts hits 100 million installs on Android, proving people might care about RSS after all
Its install base doubled in just five months
When it comes to listening to podcasts in 2021, the options are limitless. From dedicated software like Pocket Casts or Podcast Addict to Spotify's endless pursuit to make you listen to its exclusives (whether by accident or by force), you probably have three different methods for listening to podcasts on your phone right now. Placed alongside every other app fighting for your attention is Google Podcasts, the free and feature-limited experience built to sync your library between Android, smart speakers, and any web-connected device. Less than five months after hitting 50 million installs, the app has hit a new milestone: 100 million installs since its launch in 2018.
Google Podcasts website adds subscription feed to make finding new episodes easier
It's slowly becoming a more viable platform for podcast listeners
Google Podcasts has had a long road to walk in order to compete with more fully featured podcast apps, but it's been steadily improving lately, even gaining support for adding custom RSS feeds. Now Google is bringing the web version more in line with the mobile apps by revamping the Subscriptions page to show a list of your latest episodes.
You can now add custom RSS feeds to Google Podcasts
A simple addition that advanced users will appreciate
When Google first released its own Podcasts app back in 2018, it was a pretty bare-bones affair. Since then, however, the company has continued to iterate and add improvements, and the app managed to surpass 50 million downloads this month. The latest update enables something that power users have been asking for since day one: the ability to add podcasts via custom RSS feeds.
Google Podcasts reaches 50 million downloads on Android, so someone is clearly using it
Podcasts only became a viable product over the last year
Google Podcasts may not be superior to many third-party podcast players out there, but it's free and readily available on any device and lets you pick up your listening session on a smart home speaker via voice. That alone might be worth a lot to many people, and it seems that Google Podcasts resonates with at least 50 million users — that's the milestone the app just reached on the Play Store.
The final release of Android 11 earlier this month brought a ton of new features and improvements, but there was bound to be a bug or two with so many changes. The new media controls make the audio-listening experience a lot nicer, but they're still in need of some polish: some apps with currently playing audio can't be controlled unless you expand the quick settings panel.
One might think that podcast listening time has gone down since people aren't commuting nearly as much, but that's not true. Podcasts have only gained in popularity, and Google is now bringing Assistant's Your News Update feature to its Podcasts app if you were looking for some more personalized news content.