Well, here we are again. Another product is making its way through the forest until it comes upon the Google Graveyard. This time, it’s Google Podcasts’ turn — gone too soon but unsurprisingly since everyone just uses YouTube and YouTube Music.
In September 2023, Google officially announced that it would be shutting down Google Podcasts. The announcement came after the company brought podcasts to the YouTube Music app in April 2023, an obvious indicator at the time that Google Podcasts was dead to rights.
After that April announcement, everyone wondered when the company would officially kill off Google Podcasts and long reign YouTube Music as the new place to find and listen to podcasts as a Google customer. Then, in September, Google made it official.
In the blog post, the company announced that in 2024, it would be shutting down Google Podcasts and rolling its entire podcasting experience into YouTube Music. Google said at the time that YouTube Music was already more popular for users looking to listen or watch podcast episodes, saying that “23% of weekly podcast users in the US say YouTube is their most frequently used service, versus just 4% for Google Podcasts.”
The company also clarified that it planned to roll out podcasts on YouTube Music internationally by the end of 2023 as well, ensuring that anyone who currently has access through Google Podcasts will also have access to YouTube Music when the former went out to pasture. Google also prepared a number of tools for podcasters and listeners to ensure that the transition went smoothly:
We want to make sure we get this right and will give fans and podcasters plenty of time to make the transition. For users, it means a simple migration tool and the ability to add podcast RSS feeds to their YouTube Music library, including shows not currently hosted by YouTube. For those who prefer a different listening platform, the tools will also include an option to download an OPML file of their show subscriptions, which they can upload to an app that supports their import. For podcasters, this means providing robust creation and analytics tools, as well as RSS uploads, in addition to making your podcasts available everywhere YouTube Music listeners are already consuming their favorite content–in the background, in the car, offline, and more.
Where to get your podcasts now
Well, seven months after that announcement and we’re finally here: Google Podcasts will officially shut down in the United States on April 2nd and internationally on June 24th. So, if you’re still clinging to that app and haven’t jumped ship yet, you might be wondering where to go next. Thankfully, there are tons of podcast apps out there. Here’s some of them:
- Apple Podcasts: The default if you’re on an iPhone
- YouTube Music: The default if you’re in the Google ecosystem
- Spotify: The default is you’re already paying for Spotify Premium
- Deezer: If you want music and podcasts but don’t want the above
- Pocket Casts: If you want an indie option on both iPhone and Android
- Overcast: If you want an indie option on just the iPhone
Any of the above options will serve as a good replacement for Google Podcasts, especially since Google’s non-YouTube option offered a pretty basic feature set compared to…well, any of the above options.
If you’re still using Google Podcasts, today would be a good day to switch to one of the other podcast players above. The app will officially stop working on the web and mobile after today, we have no choice but to say goodbye and bury Google Podcasts in the Google Graveyard alongside other recent deaths like Google Domains, YouTube Stories, Pixel Pass, and Google Jamboard.