Steve McLendon, a product supervisor at Google, admits he’s unhappy to see Google Podcasts head towards the software graveyard. He means that the app’s simplicity, one in all its core strengths, is what led to its downfall: “Podcast experiences will be improved for customers in a manner that I believe Google Podcasts would by no means actually be capable to ship.”
After launching the app in 2018, the corporate is winding down Google Podcasts in early April. YouTube Music will function Google’s new dwelling for podcast listening. Whereas some customers crave the bare-bones expertise of an RSS feed catcher for podcasts, McLendon is eyeing a future the place algorithmic discovery and video podcast clips are extra central to the person expertise.
“Google could also be infamous for having plenty of completely different merchandise that sort of do related issues,” he says. “So, which is definitely the one which we’re invested in?” Whereas McLendon desires to create a person expertise the place podcast-only listeners really feel welcome, he’s excited by the multimedia prospects as nicely. For instance, if somebody watches a bunch of clips from NBA video games on YouTube, then their YouTube Music account may counsel some basketball podcasts.
Learn how to Migrate From Google Podcasts to YouTube Music
McLendon’s staff launched a instrument to assist Google Podcasts customers transfer their show subscriptions to YouTube Music. The function is at present only for customers in the US, however McLendon says the corporate ultimately plans a global rollout. It’s price noting that customers have to finish this migration earlier than Google makes the info unavailable in July.
Begin by opening the app in your Android or iOS machine and toggling to the Residence tab. Since saying that it will be shutting down its Podcasts app, Google has begun displaying a notification on the prime of the app’s Residence display that provides a fast hyperlink to export your subscriptions. Search for this notification on the prime and choose Export subscriptions. (In a browser, the identical choice ought to seem underneath the Discover reveals tab.) In case you’d like to change all the things over to YouTube Music, select the Export button. Tapping this in your telephone will robotically open the YouTube Music app and make sure which account you wish to use to finish the change. After you click on the Switch as… button, YouTube Music will double-check whether or not you wish to add the RSS feeds for your entire podcasts to your library. Then the method begins.
The instrument was capable of migrate all 12 of my podcast subscriptions in underneath a minute. (In case you’re a podcast fanatic with a whole bunch of subscriptions, it could take longer.) Afterward, you possibly can hearken to your favourite reveals in YouTube Music by tapping Podcasts on the prime of the Residence or Library tab. In case you don’t instantly see the Podcasts choice, it’s possible you’ll must scroll via the grey buttons to the left. In case you’ve used YouTube Music, you’ll know {that a} premium subscription is required if you wish to hearken to music whereas your telephone display is locked. Fortunately, this isn’t the case for podcasts; you possibly can stream or play downloaded reveals whereas the display is locked, even in the event you don’t have a subscription.
Various Podcast Listening Choices
Annoyed with this alteration and on the hunt for an additional minimalist podcast app? For iPhone homeowners, the Overcast app is a robust choice that mirrors the streamlined nature of Google Podcasts. Pocket Casts is one other well-designed app which may suit your preferences, and it’s obtainable on each Android and Apple units.
Fortunately, in the event you determine towards YouTube Music and also you wish to go away Google’s podcast ecosystem fully, you possibly can nonetheless take your present subscriptions with you. Comply with the identical steps listed within the part above; if you arrive on the YouTube Music export choice, discover the secondary choice labeled Export for an additional app and press Obtain. This course of will save an OPML file to your machine.
Within the Overcast app, you possibly can add this subscription record by going to Settings and scrolling all the way down to Import OPML. The migration course of from Google Podcasts to Pocket Casts is just a little trickier, however nonetheless doable. Open the Information app in your smartphone and find the downloaded OPML information file. Select to share the file, after which ship it over to Pocket Casts. This could switch your show subscriptions to the brand new app.
