In a move that is sure to confuse exactly no one who has ever tried to keep track of Google’s perpetually shifting app strategy, the tech giant has officially retired Google Podcasts as of this week. The app will now take its rightful place in the ever-growing Google product graveyard, alongside such dearly departed relics as Google Reader, Google+, and the dreams of anyone who thought Google had a long-term plan.
Fret not, podcast enthusiasts. Google is not abandoning audio content altogether, merely shuffling it to a new room in the house. Listeners are now being shepherded over to YouTube Music, which, as the name suggests, once specialized in music but now would like to be your go-to for everything from lo-fi beats to true crime ramblings. One can only assume the YouTube team has a fondness for challenging brand coherence.
According to Google, this shift is intended to provide a more seamless user experience, which sounds quite nice if one ignores the fact that users now have to leave the app they knew, liked, and had finally found the search button in. Migration tools have been made available to help users transfer subscriptions and avoid the pain of manually searching for that one Canadian history podcast with the inexplicably cryptic name. Google is even offering links to export RSS feeds for those who prefer third-party podcast apps, in an admirable show of generosity likely prompted by guilt or antitrust lawyers.
The shutdown was first announced in September 2023, giving users a generous several months to prepare emotionally. While this may seem swift to the average tech user, it’s actually a glacial pace by Google standards, whose tactic of launching and sunsetting apps often feels like watching someone panic-buy plants and then immediately forget to water them.
The switchover to YouTube Music is part of a broader strategy to consolidate Google’s entertainment offerings under fewer umbrellas, or perhaps one very large and increasingly shapeless tarp. Whether YouTube Music can rise to meet the diverse and occasionally quirky demands of podcast lovers remains to be seen, but rest assured that Google will absolutely change its mind again by 2026.
For those just catching up: Yes, this was a breakup, but no, it is not you, it is Google.