Google is shutting down its Podcasts app in the US in a matter of days. The company has begun warning users of the app that they will need to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music by April 2 to follow and stream their favorite shows in the future. Users who don't make the change immediately will have additional time to migrate, but will no longer be able to stream from the Podcasts app directly after this date.
The Google Podcasts application, installed more than 500 million times on Android devices globally, for more than half a decade it has offered a simple, streamlined interface for discovering, following and listening to podcasts, as well as tools for adding podcasts via RSS feed. Unfortunately for fans of the app, the tech giant said last September that it would begin shutting down the Podcasts app in early 2024 as part of its broader plan to centralize its audio services on YouTube.
In 2020, YouTube Music offered a similar transition strategy to move music listeners away from Google Play Music before its closure later that year. However, the Google Podcasts app stuck around for years because YouTube Music wasn't ready to support podcasts until recently. By the end of 2023, YouTube Music could support podcasts globally, and in February, they could also upload their RSS feeds.
The decision to move podcasting to YouTube could help Google become a bigger player in this space, not only by combining its efforts and sharpening its focus, but also because of interest in video podcasts, which were already popular on YouTube. , is on the rise. This week, for example, Spotify struck a deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) to bring video podcasts to U.S. users of its streaming app after announcing trials of video podcasts in 11 other markets across the country in early March. the world.
ringing computer was the first to notice the closing date of Google Podcasts in the US, and a support page on Google site confirms that US users will only be able to use the Podcasts app until the end of March 2024. For those who miss the pop-ups in the app, Google will offer users additional time to save their subscriptions by allowing them to use the export of the application until July 2024.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but responded after publication to say that while it was still “following” the April 2 schedule for the US, it has not yet shared a schedule for the rest of the year. world.
However, based on their previous statements, the plan is to discontinue Google Podcasts globally in 2024.
Updated 03/29/24 at 5:00 pm ET with comment from Google.
