San Francisco, California – Google announced that it will be shutting down its Podcasts app in the U.S. Users have until April 2 to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music to continue accessing their favorite shows. The migration to YouTube Music follows the tech giant’s plan to centralize its audio services under the YouTube platform.
The Google Podcasts app, which has been installed over 500 million times on Android devices globally, has provided users with a simple interface for discovering and listening to podcasts for over half a decade. However, Google disclosed last September its intention to phase out the Podcasts app in early 2024 as part of its overarching strategy to streamline its audio offerings through YouTube.
In a similar move in 2020, YouTube Music facilitated the transition of music listeners from Google Play Music before its shutdown that same year. The delay in discontinuing the Podcasts app was due to YouTube Music not being initially equipped to support podcasts. By the end of 2023, YouTube Music was globally ready to accommodate podcasts and allowed podcasters to upload their RSS feeds by February 2024.
The shift of podcasting to YouTube could position Google as a major player in the space by consolidating its efforts and capitalizing on the growing interest in video podcasts, especially on YouTube. Spotify’s recent partnership with Universal Music Group to introduce video podcasts in the U.S. further underscores the trend towards video content in podcasts.
Google will cease the operation of Google Podcasts in the U.S. by the end of March 2024 and provide users with the option to export their subscriptions until July 2024. While Google has not disclosed a timeline for the rest of the world, the plan is to discontinue Google Podcasts globally in 2024. The tech giant has confirmed its commitment to the April 2 deadline for the U.S.
The transition of podcasting to YouTube Music marks a significant shift in Google’s audio strategy, signaling its focus on consolidating services and catering to the evolving preferences of users in the digital content space.