Google Podcasts

Google Podcasts launched in 2018 and has now shut down in the US as YouTube Music becomes the company’s main podcasting solution.

For those in the US, Google Podcasts is set to shut down after today, April 2. We’ve tested quite a few other podcast apps on Android and selected our favorite replacements for Google Podcasts.

Before “Google Podcasts,” there was the ability to play podcasts in Google Search on Android. This straightforward feature was announced a few days after Google added podcasts to Play Music in April of 2016. It was rather emblematic of how Google did two of everything.

Google Podcasts is shutting down on April 2, meaning your entire library of podcasts could be lost unless you export them elsewhere. This article will take you through doing that directly to YouTube Music and other apps you may want to use.

Google Podcasts will stop working in the US this April, and the migration tool to YouTube Music or other podcasting apps is now live.

Earlier this year, Google announced that it would shut down its Google Podcasts app in 2024, moving users to YouTube Music. Unfortunately, YouTube Music misses the point of why I used Google Podcasts in the first place: simplicity.

Google today shared a more precise timeline of when Google Podcasts will stop working in 2024, while export options for YouTube Music and other apps are rolling out soon.

YouTube Music will be Google’s one podcasting app and service going forward, with Google Podcasts set to go away in 2024.

In addition to announcing that podcasts are coming to YouTube Music today, Google provided some clarity on the future of Google Podcasts.

Until recently, searching for a podcast on Google would surface individual episodes that you could quickly start playing. That’s now being replaced by a podcast directory in Google Search.

Podcasts have seen a resurgence in popularity over the past several years, with Google Podcasts having launched as a way to better listen to and manage podcasts across platforms. But the product has been quiet for quite some time, and now Google Podcasts has disappeared from Search results too.

YouTube organically became a place for distributing and watching/listening to podcasts, and the Google video service is widely expected to offer a more optimized experience. This is starting with a YouTube “Explore” page for “Podcasts.” 

In YouTube’s 2022 Priorities letter, CEO Susan Wojcicki cited podcasting (just before NFTs) as an additional source of revenue for Creators. Podcasts already exist on the site as videos, but this is the latest mention that strongly implies that YouTube is going to provide a more dedicated experience. What form could YouTube Podcasts take and does that sound like something you’d use?

Google’s podcasting efforts today are aligned with Search, but a new report suggests that the existing app might be getting some internal competition from YouTube.

Following the big update in August, Google Podcasts for Android is getting a straightforward Material You redesign, though it’s not yet widely rolled out.

Earlier this year, Google redesigned the Now Playing UI in Podcasts for Android and iOS. Google Podcasts is now rolling out its next major redesign with a lot of tweaks that address usability complaints.

At the start of this month, Google started rolling out a big Podcasts for Android redesign. Google Podcasts on the web is now getting a sizable update of its own with a synced queue.

After the Now Playing screen got updated earlier this year, the rest of the Google Podcasts is getting a revamp. The changes aren’t major, but there are a number of great usability upgrades for longtime users. 

Activity and investment in the podcasting industry is currently at an all-time high after Facebook, Apple, Spotify, and others detailed their latest efforts last month. One major player that has yet to respond with new plans of its own is Google Podcasts.