Earlier this year, Google revealed its plan to discontinue its standalone podcast app by 2024. Subsequently, the company initiated the relocation of podcasts to YouTube and its associated app, YouTube Music. To facilitate this transition, Google is introducing a migration tool for current users of its podcast app. This tool enables users in the US to seamlessly transfer their preferred podcast subscriptions from Google Podcasts to YouTube Music or export them for utilization in alternative podcast apps.
In the upcoming weeks, the migration tool will be accessible through a banner within the Google Podcasts platform. Comprehensive, step-by-step instructions on utilizing the migration tool can be found in Google’s Help Center. The process involves just four steps, requiring users to have both Google Podcasts and YouTube Music installed on their devices for a successful transfer. Following the transfer, Google advises that it may take a few minutes for all content to appear in the user’s YouTube Music library.
The decision by Google to discontinue its independent podcast app is not entirely unexpected. Despite being in existence since 2018, Google Podcasts failed to gain the same traction as comparable apps like Overcast and Spotify. In contrast, YouTube has already established itself as a favored platform for podcast enthusiasts, with a recent study indicating that over 23 percent of podcast listeners use YouTube as their primary player. Many of today’s popular podcasts are readily accessible on YouTube, and for those not available, users can integrate shows directly into their YouTube Music library using an RSS feed.
This move by Google echoes its actions in 2020 when the company phased out its standalone music app, Google Play Music, in favor of YouTube Music. During that transition, Google provided a comprehensive tool for users to transfer their libraries seamlessly to the new app.
While Google Podcasts will continue to be operational for listening until March 2024, users will have the opportunity to migrate or export their subscriptions until July 2024.
