Google Podcasts to Shut Down Soon, Users Encouraged to Transition to YouTube Music

Google is discontinuing its Podcasts app in the U.S., with the shutdown scheduled to take place by April 2. Users are being notified to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music to continue streaming their favorite shows. While users who don’t migrate immediately will have some additional time, they will no longer be able to stream from the Podcasts app directly after April 2.

The Google Podcasts app, which has been installed over 500 million times on Android devices globally, has been offering a simple interface for discovering and listening to podcasts for over half a decade. However, Google announced last September its plan to phase out the Podcasts app as part of its strategy to consolidate its audio services under YouTube.

YouTube Music began supporting podcasts globally by the end of 2023, and in February, it added the ability for users to upload their RSS feeds. This transition aims to combine Google’s audio efforts and focus on YouTube, potentially making Google a bigger player in the podcasting space, especially with the rising popularity of video podcasts.

The shutdown date for Google Podcasts in the U.S. was first noticed by Bleeping Computer, and a support page on Google’s site confirms that users in the U.S. will only be able to use the Podcasts app through the end of March 2024. However, Google will allow users additional time to save their subscriptions by using the app’s export feature until July 2024.