The “Podcasts” application is one of the most popular audio blogging applications in the world, with more than 500 million copies downloaded on smart devices running the Android operating system.
Google announced that it will stop operating the “Google Podcasts” application for audio broadcasting by mid-June 2024, as part of its plan to integrate its audio services with the YouTube platform.
Opportunity to transmit podcasts
Google explained in a message, sent last month, to app users that they will still be able to listen to podcasts until June 23, 2024, while giving them the opportunity to transfer the lists of blogs they follow to any alternative app before “Google Podcasts” shuts down.
Transportation options
Google offers two main options through which users can transfer podcasts during the remaining period, which are:
Transfer to YouTube Music: Users can transfer podcast playlists directly to the YouTube Music platform, where podcasts will be automatically added to your YouTube library.
Download as files: Users can download podcast listings as OPML files from their Google account, and then upload them to any other blogging app.
Reasons for closure
Google did not provide specific details about the reasons for closing “Google Podcasts,” but it indicated its desire to integrate its audio services with the YouTube platform, which is a larger and more popular platform for audio, video, and music broadcasting.
More than 500 million users
The “Podcasts” application is one of the most popular audio blogging applications in the world, with more than 500 million copies downloaded on smart devices running the Android operating system.
Alternatives to Google Podcasts
It is worth noting that there are many alternative podcast applications available on the Google Play Store, such as:
- Addict Podcast: Downloaded 10 million times.
- Podcast Player: Downloaded 10 million times.
- Castbox: Downloaded 10 million times.
- Budbin: Downloaded 5 million times.
- Spotify: Its app has been downloaded more than a billion times.
The clean design and simple approach has contributed to the popularity of Google Podcasts, making it easy and straightforward for users to use. Even a few weeks before its closure, the application maintained its high rating of 3.4 on the Play Store, which reflects users’ satisfaction with the user experience.
