Google Podcasts, the widely used app boasting over 500 million downloads on the Play Store, is set to shut down, ceasing streaming services in the US from April 2. Google, aiming to enhance its focus on audio and video podcasts through YouTube Music, had announced the discontinuation of Google Podcasts in a blog post last year. While the app is currently being phased out in the US, it will eventually cease operations for users in other regions later this year.
Despite Google’s persistent notifications within the Google Podcasts app regarding its impending closure, the company has now begun displaying warnings on the app’s home page, advising users to transfer their data to YouTube Music or another preferred podcast service.
Interestingly, although users can still download the Google Podcasts app from the Play Store and Apple Store, they will no longer be able to stream content using it from April 2. However, they will have until July 2024 to migrate their data to an alternative application.
Explaining the rationale behind the shutdown of the Google Podcasts app in a blog post, Google stated, “Looking ahead to 2024, we’ll be enhancing our investment in the podcast experience on YouTube Music—making it a more comprehensive destination for fans and podcasters alike, with exclusive YouTube features covering community, discovery, and audio/visual switching.”
To transfer subscriptions to YouTube Music, users can follow these steps:
- Open the Google Podcasts app on an Android or iOS device and navigate to the Home tab.
- Find the Google Podcasts app shutdown notification and select “Export Subscriptions.”
- Choose “Export to YouTube Music” under the Export Subscriptions option.
- Users will be redirected to the YouTube Music app and prompted to select a Gmail account, following which their subscriptions will be added to the YouTube Music app. It may take a few minutes for all subscriptions to transfer.
However, not all podcasts will be migrated to the YouTube Music app, and users may encounter a “Content is unavailable” message. In such cases, users can manually add podcasts by inputting the show’s RSS feed link. Additionally, migrating podcasts to a third-party app involves a more complex process, requiring users to download via an OPML file through Google Takeout.
