Google Podcasts Has Been Discontinued | RSS.com Blog

💡Important Update: Google has announced that the Google Podcasts app will be discontinued in April 2024. To help with the transition, Google has released a migration tool that provides an easy way for podcast listeners to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music or export them for use in other listening apps.

You can find step-by-step instructions on how to migrate your Google Podcasts subscriptions here.

Google Podcasts is going away next year, but don’t worry! listeners🎧& podcasters🎙️will be able to

1️⃣migrate subscriptions to YouTube Music
2️⃣upload shows to YouTube & YouTube Music via RSS feeds

more info➡️ https://t.co/YOmlgo2iNt
ask your Qs➡️https://t.co/kI9IEEnwip

— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 26, 2023

How to Submit Your Podcast to Google Podcasts (Google Play)

Millions of potential Android listeners are out there – don’t make the mistake of ignoring them by not submitting your show’s RSS feed to Google Podcasts.  

Once your podcast’s RSS feed has been submitted to Google Podcasts and approved, listeners can not only find you in the app, they can subscribe — and never miss an episode.

✨ If you need a podcast RSS feed, click here. 

What Is Google Podcasts?

The official app for Android devices, Google Podcasts is similar to Apple Podcasts in that users can discover free and trending podcasts, play the latest episodes from their favorite shows, explore recommendations, and manage listening activity. The app will also save your spot in an episode if you need to take a break.

Why This Is so Important

In addition to making your show accessible to millions of Android users, submitting your show to Google Podcasts also provides other opportunities for exposure across other Google products including:

• Google Search on all desktop and mobile browsers with the option to play episodes directly in the browser
• Google Search App for Android devices
• Google Podcasts app for mobile devices
• Google Home 
• Content Action for the Google Assistant
• Android Auto in your car

Now that we know why it’s so important to submit your show to Google Podcasts, let’s review how to do it!

How to Submit Your Podcast to Google Podcasts

Here are the four easy steps to submit your podcast in Google’s Podcast Manager:

• Step 1. Find and copy your podcast’s RSS feed
• Step 2. Go to Google’s Podcast Manager
• Step 3. Add your show’s RSS feed
• Step 4. Verify your feed. If your Google account and the email associated with your show match, you’ll instantly be verified. If not, Google will need to manually verify the email associated with your show.

Below are images to guide you through each step:

Step 1.  Find and copy your show’s RSS feed.

Step 2.  Go to Google’s Podcast Manager.

Step 3.  Add your podcast’s RSS feed.

Step 4. Verify your feed and click “Submit.”

Congrats, you’re done! 

Once you’re verified, you’ll want to check to see if your podcast has been included in Google’s podcast index. This could take 24 hours or up to a couple of days. 

How to Get Your Podcast on Google Home

Once your podcast is approved to be on Google Podcasts, is it automatically added to Google Home and Google Assistant for voice search? According to our research, the answer is yes, but with some caveats.

Here’s what Google had to say on the matter:

“With Google Nest and Google Home speakers and displays, you can listen to your favorite podcasts and shows from anywhere in your home — using only your voice. This feature is available in English only.”

The catch? You’ll have to ask Google Home (aka Google Assistant) to play the podcast name, not a specific episode number.

For example, you can say “Hey Google, play podcast.” And, on Google Home devices you can say phrases like “Next episode,” “Previous,” and “Listen to the latest episode of .”

What you can’t say is phrases like “Hey Google, play number 241,” or “Hey Google, play my Spotify podcast.”

According to Google the reason for this is two-fold. First, available podcasts aren’t technically listed within the Google Home app at the current time. This could change in the future, and we’ll update this post when that happens. 

Second, partner podcast players, like Spotify, TuneIn, and even Google Podcasts are also currently not supported. That is why if you want to hear a specific podcast using Google Home/Assistant you should simply ask for the podcast you would like to hear.

Don’t Stop There, You’re on a Roll! 🎲

If you haven’t already, now is the time to submit your show to the other major podcast directories.  We’ve got you covered with easy, step-by-step guides to walk you through the entire process: