Officially GoneINTERNET & TECH

Google Podcasts

Google built a simple open podcast player, then folded listening into YouTube Music and closed the standalone app.

HOW CLOSE TO REALITY100/100
CATEGORYInternet & Tech
LIFECYCLE2018—2024
00

Quick facts

Existence state
Officially Gone
Peak stage
general availability
Research confidence
high
Last verified
01

What it was

A podcast discovery and playback service available on Android, iOS and the web.

A podcast discovery and playback service available on Android, iOS and the web. The product offered subscriptions, synchronised playback and search-based discovery without requiring creators to upload audio into a closed catalogue.

02

Existence timeline

App launches

Google releases a dedicated podcast player for Android.

iOS and web expand

The service becomes cross-platform and gains broader public access.

YouTube Music transition

Google announces that podcasts will move into its music product.

US service ends

The standalone player stops serving its largest market.

Global wind-down

Remaining regions lose the original Google Podcasts service.

03

Why it ended

Google moved podcast investment to YouTube Music and discontinued Google Podcasts in the United States in April 2024, followed by other markets.

04

Last confirmed trace

Export tools moved subscriptions to YouTube Music or OPML; app listings, help pages and package archives remain.
05

What it left behind

Its closure concentrated another open-media listening habit inside a broader music and video platform.

06

How we classified it

The archive unit reached normal public release or operation and is no longer obtainable in its original public form.

Verified normal public availability maps to 100 under Arrival Score V1.

07

Sources & verification

Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Sources are linked so readers can inspect the evidence directly.

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