It is the swan song for Google Podcasts. The company says after yesterday (April 2), users will no longer be able to listen to podcasts on the Google Podcast app. “You can get podcasts, music and more, all on the YouTube Music app as an alternative,” it tells users. While a smaller player in the overall podcast universe, the change could mean fewer downloads for some shows at a time when the industry is already dealing with the impact of iOS changes that have reduced Apple Podcast numbers.
To help soften the blow, Google Podcasts has been pushing users to transfer their subscriptions to YouTube Music or other supported apps. Podcasts added from Google Podcasts will be identifiable since they will feature the RSS logo. Google says with YouTube Music, users can download podcasts regardless of membership status. For those who prefer a different listening platform, the tools will also include an option to download an OPML file of their show subscriptions, which they can upload to an app that supports their import. But there is a time factor at play. Google Podcasts says users will need to make the move by July, after which the transfer will no longer be possible.
The latest data from Edison Research shows that even as YouTube Music does not have the awareness of apps like Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, or Apple Music, 73% of Americans aged 12 and older say they are aware of the service. And people are using it. Nearly a quarter (23%) said they listened to YouTube Music in the past month and 19% said they had in the past week — making it second only to Spotify for use. Edison says that while Spotify delivers its best numbers among younger listeners, YouTube Music has its best use numbers among those 35 and older.
The Google Podcasts app debuted in June 2018 as part of the company’s quest to capture more of the listening that its search engines were cataloging. Through the years it has been installed more than 500 million times worldwide — and the app will still be available in the near-term outside the U.S.
When Google announced in September that the app was being sunset, it said the decision was made to put more of an emphasis on growing its YouTube audience. It had already begun putting podcasts on YouTube. Last April, it added the ability to watch and listen to podcasts on YouTube, and earlier this year it began to allow creators to upload their shows to YouTube through an RSS feed. “We’ll be increasing our investment in the podcast experience on YouTube Music — making it a better overall destination for fans and podcasters alike with YouTube-only capabilities across community, discovery and audio/visual switching,” the company said in a blog post in the fall.
Google Podcasts becomes the third major listening app to close down in the past few years as the podcast industry matures. SiriusXM closed the Stitcher podcast app last August, as it put the focus on the updated SiriusXM app. Earlier, Acast shut down its listening app in 2022, deciding to instead focus on its advertising and hosting business.