Google is shutting down its Podcasts app within the U.S. in a matter of days. The corporate has begun warning the app’s customers they might want to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music by April 2 to comply with and stream their favourite reveals going ahead. Customers who don’t make the transfer instantly will nonetheless have extra time emigrate, however will not have the ability to stream from the Podcasts app instantly after this date.
The Google Podcasts app, put in over 500 million times on Android gadgets globally, for over half a decade has provided a easy and streamlined interface for locating, following, and listening to podcasts, in addition to instruments so as to add podcasts by RSS feed. Sadly for followers of the app, the tech large stated final September it could start to wind down the Podcasts app in early 2024 as a part of its broader plan to centralize its audio companies beneath YouTube.
In 2020, YouTube Music provided the same transition technique to transfer music listeners away from Google Play Music forward of its shutdown that very same yr. Nonetheless, the Google Podcasts app continued to be maintained for years as a result of YouTube Music wasn’t able to assist podcasts till extra just lately. By the tip of 2023, YouTube Music was in a position to assist podcasts globally, and, by February, that they had the flexibility to add their RSS feeds, too.
The transfer to shift podcasting over to YouTube may assist Google to turn out to be a much bigger participant within the area, not solely by combining its efforts and sharpening its focus, but additionally as a result of curiosity in video podcasts — which have been already standard on YouTube — is on the rise. This week, for instance, Spotify cast a take care of Common Music Group (UMG) to carry video podcasts to U.S. customers of its streaming app after earlier in March asserting exams of video podcasts in 11 different markets world wide.
Bleeping Computer was the primary to note the shutdown date for Google Podcasts within the U.S., and a support page on Google’s site confirms that customers within the U.S. will solely have the ability to use the Podcasts app by way of the tip of March 2024. For individuals who miss the in-app pop-ups, Google will provide customers extra time to avoid wasting their subscriptions by permitting them to make use of the app’s export characteristic by way of July 2024.
Google didn’t instantly return a request for remark. From its earlier statements, although, the plan is to discontinue Google Podcasts in 2024.
