Google Podcasts is shutting down before long, customers urged to transfer to YouTube Songs

Google is shutting down its Podcasts application in the U.S. in a issue of days. The firm has started warning the app’s end users they will want to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Tunes by April 2 to follow and stream their beloved exhibits heading ahead. Customers who never make the move instantly will still have extra time to migrate, but will no for a longer time be equipped to stream from the Podcasts application specifically soon after this day.

The Google Podcasts application, put in around 500 million occasions on Android gadgets globally, for over 50 percent a 10 years has offered a basic and streamlined interface for getting, subsequent and listening to podcasts, as perfectly as equipment to insert podcasts by RSS feed. Unfortunately for followers of the app, the tech big explained previous September it would get started to wind down the Podcasts application in early 2024 as portion of its broader prepare to centralize its audio solutions below YouTube.

In 2020, YouTube Tunes made available a very similar changeover strategy to move tunes listeners absent from Google Play Tunes forward of its shutdown that exact same year. Nevertheless, the Google Podcasts app continued to be maintained for many years since YouTube Tunes wasn’t ready to assist podcasts until finally far more not too long ago. By the finish of 2023, YouTube Audio was ready to aid podcasts globally, and, by February, they experienced the ability to upload their RSS feeds, way too.

The go to shift podcasting about to YouTube could support Google become a even bigger participant in the space, not only by combining its attempts and sharpening its concentrate, but also mainly because desire in video clip podcasts — which have been currently well-known on YouTube — is on the rise. This week, for example, Spotify forged a offer with Universal Audio Group (UMG) to convey video podcasts to U.S. consumers of its streaming app right after previously in March saying tests of video clip podcasts in 11 other markets all around the environment.

Bleeping Personal computer was the very first to discover the shutdown date for Google Podcasts in the U.S., and a guidance page on Google’s internet site confirms that buyers in the U.S. will only be capable to use the Podcasts application as a result of the stop of March 2024. For people who miss the in-app pop-ups, Google will offer buyers supplemental time to help you save their subscriptions by permitting them to use the app’s export attribute by means of July 2024.

Google did not quickly return a request for comment, but just after publication did reply to say that whilst it was nonetheless “tracking towards” the April 2 timeline for the U.S., it has not shared a timeline for the rest of the globe still.

From its earlier statements, although, the plan is to discontinue Google Podcasts globally in 2024.

Up to date, 3/29/24, 5:00 PM ET with Google remark.