Google is killing off Google Podcasts: so you can move your subscriptions to other apps

Google has a notorious habit of killing off products within a few years of their launch. Place Killed by Google It contains a very interesting list of nearly 300 apps and services that Mountain View has discontinued, and the newest addition to the list is Google Podcasts.

Starting today, April 2nd, the Google Podcasts platform will stop working. This measure will initially apply in the United States and will later come into force in other countries where it is still available. So, if you are still using it, we will tell you how to transfer subscriptions to other applications.

It is worth saying that the decision to discontinue support for Google Podcasts was not made overnight. The company announced this in September 2023 and revealed its plans to allow the public to export the suggestions they like to other solutions for this type of content.

Closing Google Podcasts is part of a strategy to strengthen YouTube music as an alternative to Spotify and other streaming services. Ultimately, the first option users have is to transfer their subscriptions directly to YouTube’s “sister” app.

In the US, 23% of weekly podcast listeners use YouTube Music most frequently, according to Google. However, only 4% depended on Google Podcasts. So on paper, the latter’s death shouldn’t be as traumatic as one might think.

How to Export Subscriptions to Google Podcasts

As we already mentioned, Google decided to offer a direct method export Google Podcasts subscriptions to YouTube Music. The steps are very simple: first you have to enter podcasts.google.com. Once there, go to the side menu that is on the left edge of the screen and enter Parameter. In this section you will find the option Export to YouTube Music, where you will need to enter your email address. And that’s it, once this step is completed, you will see that your subscriptions will automatically start appearing on YouTube Music.

Please note that this process may take a few minutes, depending on the number of podcasts you subscribe to. The downside is that YouTube Music doesn’t note which episodes you’ve already played and which you haven’t when imported from Google Podcasts.

If you don’t like YouTube Music or would rather use another app to manage your favorite podcasts, you have a second option. Using Google Podcasts you can create an OMPL file with your subscriptions, then download them into any compatible app. On Android, the best players that support this feature are Pocket Casts and Podbean.

The steps to create an OMPL file from Google Podcasts are also very simple. You’re coming in podcasts.google.com and you go to the section Parameter. Once there you choose Export to another application And Dismiss. Once you have the file, all you have to do is download it to the application of your choice to continue listening.

As we explained at the beginning, Google Podcasts stopped working in the US today, but it will be active in other parts of the world until June 24th. If you do not export your subscriptions by this date, you will lose them as soon as the quarantine hits your country and you will have to search for your favorite podcasts manually on Spotify or others players for mobile.