Google is shutting down its Podcasts app within the U.S. in a matter of days. The firm 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 exhibits going ahead. Users who don’t make the transfer instantly will nonetheless have extra time emigrate, however will now not be capable to stream from the Podcasts app immediately after this date.
The Google Podcasts app, put in over 500 million occasions on Android gadgets globally, for over half a decade has supplied a easy and streamlined interface for locating, following and listening to podcasts, in addition to instruments so as to add podcasts by RSS feed. Unfortunately for followers of the app, the tech big mentioned final September it will 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 supplied the same transition technique to transfer music listeners away from Google Play Music forward of its shutdown that very same yr. However, the Google Podcasts app continued to be maintained for years as a result of YouTube Music wasn’t able to help podcasts till extra lately. By the tip of 2023, YouTube Music was in a position to help podcasts globally, and, by February, that they had the power to add their RSS feeds, too.
The transfer to shift podcasting over to YouTube might assist Google turn out to be a much bigger participant within the house, not solely by combining its efforts and sharpening its focus, but additionally as a result of curiosity in video podcasts — which have been already in style on YouTube — is on the rise. This week, for instance, Spotify cast a take care of Universal Music Group (UMG) to carry video podcasts to U.S. customers of its streaming app after earlier in March asserting assessments of video podcasts in 11 different markets around the globe.
Bleeping Computer was the primary to note the shutdown date for Google Podcasts within the U.S., and a help web page on Google’s web site confirms that customers within the U.S. will solely be capable to use the Podcasts app via the tip of March 2024. For those that 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 function via July 2024.
Google didn’t instantly return a request for remark, however after publication did reply to say that whereas it was nonetheless “tracking towards” the April 2 timeline for the U.S., it has not shared a timeline for the remainder of the world but.
From its earlier statements, although, the plan is to discontinue Google Podcasts globally in 2024.
Updated, 3/29/24, 5:00 PM ET with Google remark.
