Google Podcasts Is Shutting Down Today, What Alternatives are There?

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 01 April 2024, 10:04 pm

The service known as Google Podcasts was previously revealed to be shutting down. Its going off air is scheduled for today, April 2, and it will no longer be available to access.

This centers on the ability to stream the voice-centered shows down to subscribe to their preferred artists on the platform, with various alternatives available for users.

As announced last year, Google Podcasts is migrating its content and experiences to the company's touted service under its YouTube brand.

Google Podcasts Shutting Down Today, April 2

Google Podcasts is shutting down today, Tuesday, April 2, after almost six years in the market since its accessibility in 2018, despite introducing it earlier in 2016. Initially, it was a service that Google bundled with the Search app, offering the search bar an integrated podcast player, which was a bizarre experience for many.

Later, it was given a dedicated app to focus on podcast streaming, with its first iteration being on Android in 2018 and later on iOS and desktop in 2019.

This follows the company's decision to "centralize" the podcasting experience by removing the less patronized platform compared to YouTube.

Alternatives for Google Podcasts

That being said, the most ideal alternative for Google Podcasts is also part of the company's brand, with YouTube Podcast also best known for migrating the content and experiences on the recently defunct platform. YouTube Podcasts were said to be the top platform for all-audio streams, according to Google last year.

If you are a YouTube Music subscriber, podcast content is also available on the platform for online and offline streaming.

On the other hand, Spotify also has its widely available podcast content.

Google and its Podcasts

Since 2018, Google Podcasts has been widely available to the world to enjoy, but it was first available on Android, favoring the Google-made smartphone operating system for its streaming experience. It was only in 2019 that the company branched out this experience to iOS and desktops, and it ensured that the feature-rich platform of Google is available.

However, its run from 2019, when it was made widely available, was short-lived, as around four years later, in 2023, the company announced that it is favoring another service to bring said podcasts.

The company claimed that it wants to make the podcasting experience centralized with YouTube, one that also confirmed the shutdown of Google Podcasts.

Google has attempted to make a podcast platform for a long time now, with Google Podcasts being its third take on the experience and YouTube Podcasts being the fourth.

Google is now sticking with YouTube podcasts to bring the experience, and this is the ideal alternative platform for all. Google podcasts are joining the family of discontinued apps from Mountain View.

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