A big Google Podcasts revamp in March redesigned the Android experience, introduced an iOS app, and brought subscriptions to the web. To further drive adoption, Google is letting old Play Music users transfer over podcasts.
Google started letting publishers upload content to Play Music in October 2015, but the functionality did not arrive until that coming April. Available from the navigation drawer, the podcasts experience consists of a simple two-tab layout.
“Top charts” can be refined by category, while “Your podcasts” lists subscriptions. There are options to have new episodes auto-download and get notified when they become available. Playback is synced across the Android/iOS apps and the web client.
In terms of traction, Play Music is still regarded as where Android users go to find podcasts, with shoutouts and links to the service still quite common in 2020. The new Google Podcasts team recognizes that continued prevalence, and will not be leaving those listeners behind.
Like the YouTube Music transition, you’ll be able to transfer Play Music subscriptions and episode progress to Google Podcasts. Users with a lot of shows are saved from having to manually search and subscribe again, while playback status is also maintained.
Google Podcasts keeps a central feed of all your unplayed shows for quick browsing. Marking all past episodes as played is not an option available today and would be a hassle to do individually.
The process involves a single click at podcasts.google.com/transfer. This export-import tool will roll out over the coming weeks alongside the broader music library transition. Later this year, Google will deprecate Play Music, but until then both services will continue to coexist.
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