Google announced today that YouTube Music is now, officially, offering podcasts.
Placed inside YouTube Music is a dedicated section for podcasts now, designed to be paired nicely with the existing podcast video experience on YouTube. When you enter the podcast section, you’ll find a curated section of titles you might like, your favorites, and the various genres available.
Below, YouTube goes over the feature and explains that the podcast listening experience differs from the music listening experience where a user needs a Premium subscription. How does it differ? Listeners can expect host-read endorsements or sponsorship messaging when listening to podcasts, which technically means the podcast experience isn’t “ad-free.” Big whoop.
All listeners can enjoy podcasts on-demand, offline, in the background, while casting and seamlessly switch between audio-video versions on YouTube Music. This podcast listening experience is different from our music listening experience where you need a Premium or Music Premium subscription to enjoy some of these features.
For now, Google is rolling this out slowly and only to US users. Both Kellen and I don’t yet have access, but keep your eyes peeled. If you need to know what this looks like right now, check out the GIF below.
Anyone remember Google Listen? With the yellow headphones icon? That was my first podcast app on Android in 2010 lol
Nice! I wonder if my Podcast will show.
I got it yesterday and this is a mess. Unless they figure out a way to pull in the legitimate podcast feeds, this will be all over the place. I appreciate the consolidation of apps but the way it is right now is not great.
YTM w/podcasts showed up. But I cannot add a private feed (supporting a creator on Patreon). Has anyone found a way to do that, yet?
I’m actually thrilled with this. One stop shop for me.
I wish Google could soon add a podcasts previews feature similar to Amazon music. It’s really fun to use and feels like an old school radio tuner. It’s a great way to explore new content.
I wish we could review podcasts like Apple podcasts app
So that probably means the Google standalone Podcast app will be going away. That sucks. It looks like I’ll be looking for some other app for podcasts. The YouTube Music app is garbage. Such an awful UI.
I’ve been using Podcast Guru. The app UI is pretty good.
agreed. I started using google podcasts 3 yrs ago and it’s perfect. Does everything I need it to. But Google as always keeps phasing out apps
As opposed to the dedicated Google podcast app? What a missfire
seems inevitable they discontinue google podcasts
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8ad8b0c57da92d0f056fe942ceb37fefb739294b9cde9a577239544a421d51d8.png
Yeah, but does it have messaging?
Just refreshed on YouTube music by swiping down and podcast showed up https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/15c078e4f29f85f5c4c3589b2264fe046c76b7350718a654bdf3ebe34e48b829.jpg
If they only allowed you to play stuff with the screen off, I would use it.
…. They do.
maybe for podcasts, as it says, but not for playing music. I don’t see people using Youtube Music as their podcast source.
I can play music with the screen off but I pay for YouTube music. Could be why ????
Yeah, that’s why. I understand limiting features of the free versions of apps. Not allowing the screen to turn off though, wtf?
What? It does
If you have YouTube Premium. Podcasts might operate differently but to play music, the free tier requires the screen on.
ohhhhh, yeah, I’ve never used the free version
I wonder if this means they will be phasing out Google Podcasts app.
Unfortunately I think so.
If they do it will be a while. The YTM podcasts are not actual podcasts like we think of them. They are just YouTube videos that have been designated as a podcast. There is no way to add a podcast by rss, mark them as played manually, there is no full list of unplayed episodes. And since this is just podcast episodes that have been uploaded to YouTube, the vast majority of podcasts by smaller creators are not going to be available.
Yeah, after looking at it a little bit I’ve noticed the same thing. I looked up Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend and all it has is YouTube clips that they post of recording the podcast. Hopefully it stays that way and the actual podcasts stay on the podcast app.
One cool thing I did notice is with a podcast by a YouTuber named Adam Ragusa. He posts the audio podcast as well as a video of the same. The YouTube Music app allows you to seamlessly switch between the video and audio. So that’s cool. Still the navigation sucks. I’ll stick to the podcast app and switch to something else if it really does fully merge into YouTube Music.