By ABUBAKAR YUNUSA
Google says it will shut down its Google podcasts app in 2024.
The company made the announcement recently, noting that users will be moved from Google podcasts to YouTube music.
“We plan to make Podcasts on YouTube Music globally available before the end of the year,” the company said.
“Looking forward to 2024, we’ll be increasing our investment in the podcast experience on YouTube Music — making it a better overall destination for fans and podcasters alike with YouTube-only capabilities across community, discovery and audio/visual switching.
“Later in 2024, as part of this process, we’ll be discontinuing Google Podcasts.”
The technology giant said it would help users switch YouTube Music with ease to avoid any difficulty.
“This matches what listeners and podcasters are already doing: according to Edison, about 23% of weekly podcast users in the US say YouTube is their most frequently used service, versus just 4% for Google Podcasts,” the firm said.
“We want to make sure we get this right and will give fans and podcasters plenty of time to make the transition.
“For users, it means a simple migration tool and the ability to add podcast RSS feeds to their YouTube Music library, including shows not currently hosted by YouTube.”
The move will see Google join Spotify and Amazon Music — two established music streaming services offering millions of songs and podcasts — for a slice of the market.
