According to The Verge , this change is not surprising, as in April, Google allowed US users to listen to podcasts on YouTube Music without being a paying member. The company also enabled offline and background podcast listening, as well as switching between audio and video versions on the service. YouTube also announced it would offer podcasts on YouTube Music globally before the end of 2023.
Google Podcasts first launched on Android in 2018, offering users a way to listen to a library of podcasts for free and receive personalized recommendations. In 2020, Google redesigned the app and released versions for iOS alongside web, Windows, and macOS.
Google Podcasts will end its mission at the end of next year.
Writing on its blog, YouTube stated it will increase investment in the podcast experience, making YouTube Music a better overall destination for users and podcasters alike. As part of this process, Google will discontinue Google Podcasts at the end of 2024.
YouTube says the move to discontinue Google Podcasts aligns with what podcasters and listeners are doing. The Google-owned video network cited data from Edison, which showed that 23% of weekly podcast users in the U.S. said YouTube was their most frequently used service, compared to 4% for Google Podcasts.
YouTube will also help Google Podcasts migrate to YouTube Music by providing a simple migration tool and the ability to add podcast RSS feeds to users' YouTube Music libraries. The platform will also offer a tool that allows users to download the OPML file containing their program subscriptions, enabling them to upload them to other listening platforms.
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