Google is shutting down its Podcasts app within the U.S. in a matter of days. The corporate 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. Customers who don’t make the transfer instantly will nonetheless have further time emigrate, however will now not have the ability to stream from the Podcasts app instantly after this date.
The Google Podcasts app, put in over 500 million times on Android units 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. Sadly for followers of the app, the tech large said last September it might start to wind down the Podcasts app in early 2024 as a part of its broader plan to centralize its audio companies underneath YouTube.
In 2020, YouTube Music supplied an identical transition technique to move music listeners away from Google Play Music ahead of its shutdown that very same 12 months. Nevertheless, the Google Podcasts app continued to be maintained for years as a result of YouTube Music wasn’t able to help podcasts till extra just lately. By the tip of 2023, YouTube Music was capable of help podcasts globally, and, by February, they’d the flexibility to upload their RSS feeds, too.
The transfer to shift podcasting over to YouTube may assist Google grow to be a much bigger participant within the area, 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 forged a deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) to deliver video podcasts to U.S. customers of its streaming app after earlier in March announcing tests of video podcasts in 11 different markets all over the world.
Bleeping Computer was the primary to note the shutdown date for Google Podcasts within the U.S., and a support page on Google’s site confirms that customers within the U.S. will solely have the ability to use the Podcasts app by way of the tip of March 2024. For many who miss the in-app pop-ups, Google will provide customers further time to save lots of their subscriptions by permitting them to make use of the app’s export function by way of July 2024.
Google didn’t instantly return a request for remark, however after publication did reply to say that whereas it was nonetheless “monitoring in direction of” 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.
Up to date, 3/29/24, 5:00 PM ET with Google remark.
