In September, Google announced that it would shut down its standalone podcast app, Google Podcasts, sometime next year. Now that the end of 2023 is approaching, the company is launching a migration tool today that will allow US users to move their existing podcast subscriptions to YouTube Music, which will be Google’s new home for podcasts.
Users will have plenty of time to export their subscriptions, as the official shutdown of Google Podcasts won’t happen until April 2024. While the tool currently only supports US users, Google says it will soon be available in other markets.
The company additionally shared the timeline for shutting down the Google Podcasts app. It notes that US users will be able to listen to their podcasts in the app until March 2024. And even though the app is shutting down in April, users will still be able to migrate or export subscriptions until July 2024.
The new migration tool will appear in the app in the coming weeks, via a banner at the top of the screen. Step-by-step instructions will also be documented Google’s support site. For those who don’t want to move to YouTube Music, an option to export subscriptions to an OPML file will also be provided. This file can be uploaded to any other third-party podcast app that also supports uploads.
Google has been working to make YouTube more of a podcast destination for some time, launching a dedicated podcast homepage last year and announcing plans this February to bring podcasts to YouTube Music — the company’s rival to Spotify and Apple Music.
The change will consolidate Google’s efforts in the audio streaming market, allowing it to combine audiences that are currently spread across multiple apps. The company already shut down Google Play Music years ago, but it took longer to tackle podcasts.
To use the migration tool, users will click “Export Subscriptions” at the top of the screen, then under “Export to YouTube Music”, tap “Export”. If they don’t have the YouTube Music app installed, they’ll be prompted to install it at that time. After reading the disclosure, users will press “Continue” to complete the migration process.
Image Credits: YouTube
YouTube notes that many popular podcasts are already available on YouTube, such as New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce and Murder, Mystery & Makeup with Bailey Sarian.
But now listeners will also be able to add shows directly to their YouTube Music library via the podcast’s RSS feed. YouTube itself aims to support RSS uploads for podcasters, the company previously said.
To support podcasts on YouTube Music, the company earlier added podcast “shelves” to the app to make them easily accessible, as well as features like adding RSS feeds, automatic downloads, and a listening experience where you can pick up where you left off. Later, it will also add a “mark as heard” option.
