Google announced YouTube Music users will start getting podcast support, starting with the United States. The good thing is the new feature, which was teased back in February, will not require a paid YouTube Music plan.
The feature will work just like any other AV content – it will be available on-demand, offline, in the background while casting and switching between audio and video. Google did mention that all these come for free.
What Google did not say is what will happen with the Podcasts app. Currently, it is delisted from Google search, and the last update came back in August 2022. Currently, the podcasts on YouTube Music are not nearly as many as the amount on the original platform, but we expect this to change as the transition advances.
There is also a slight possibility this is some sort of A/B testing, and it could remain market-dependent. However, Google is known for phasing out plenty of features and services, and we believe the Podcasts app is next in line to the software cemetery.
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