Google is known for trying out different things all the time, especially when it comes to software services and apps – it’s no surprise then that we’ll see occasional app reassignments (and even discontinuations) from time to time, and this new development this time has put YouTube Music in the spotlight.
More specifically, this new change has affected both YouTube Music and the Google Podcasts app. The latter will now be integrated into YouTube Music, and users will now be able to listen to their favourite podcasts in the YT Music app. The new feature will appear via an in-app tab on the upper portion of the app. As per Google’s official announcement:
“We’re happy to share that podcasts on YouTube are now available in YouTube Music! We’re rolling this out to all our listeners in the United States gradually, so hold tight if you don’t see it yet! This update allows those watching podcasts on the main app to continue listening to them on YouTube Music. More about the new podcasts listening experience on YouTube Music below!”
“All listeners can enjoy podcasts on-demand, offline, in the background, while casting and seamlessly switch between audio-video versions on YouTube Music. This podcast listening experience is different from our music listening experience where you need a Premium or Music Premium subscription to enjoy some of these features.”
With that being said however, this update is currently exclusive for users in the United States, although YouTube states that it plans to bring the new podcasts integration for more users worldwide in the future. The company has not specified a date or rollout schedule for this expansion however, so YouTube Music users might want to keep an eye out for any more updates. It does mean that we might see the Podcasts app be doomed forever to the Google graveyard (which most recently welcomed Stadia into its lineup).
In other Google news, new images and hardware specifications for the upcoming Pixel 7a have been leaked online, which brings a new “Coral” colour variant, and hardware that closely matches the Pixel 7. It’s expected that Google will reveal the Pixel 7a at the I/O Conference on May 10, as it also did with last year’s Pixel 6a and 7 series phones. Pricing might be a little higher this time though, as the phone might now cost $499, which is a big leap considering that past Pixel A phones usually went for 350-400.
Going back to YouTube Music, users (in the US at least) should check their YouTube Music app right now to see if the new Podcasts tab is accessible.
