The latest update to YouTube Music is all about podcasts.
In a blog post, Google announced that it is starting to roll out podcasts for YouTube Music. The company says that users will now be able to start watching a podcast episode on the YouTube app and then continue listening to it through the YouTube Music app.
Google says that podcasts for YouTube Music are starting to roll out to users in the United States. The company does say that the rollout is gradual, so users might not see the update right away. Podcasts will also be included in the YouTube Music app regardless of if the user has a YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium subscription.
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.
While the feature is only rolling out in the United States so far, Google does say that it plans to bring the feature internationally as well.
This new podcast listening experience complements the podcast video experience on YouTube, and we’re so excited for you to try it! For those of you outside the United States, rest assured that we plan to bring podcasts in YouTube Music to other regions in the future!
Bringing podcasts to YouTube Music sounds even goofier than when Spotify did it, especially since Music is literally in the name of its service. It also brings into question the future of Google Podcasts, the company’s other podcast app. While the company hasn’t said anything about it yet, I could see that heading to the Google graveyard soon enough.
Maybe we’ll find out more when Google hosts I/O in May!
