TL;DR
- Google has killed its Podcasts app in the US, after it confirmed a shutdown date late last year.
- Google says people outside the US can still use Google Podcasts until June 24, though.
Google confirmed last year that it would be killing off its Google Podcasts service, eventually confirming that the service would last until the end of March. Unfortunately, the time has finally come for many users.
Google recently notified Google Podcasts users in the US, warning them that they would need to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music or another service by April 2. That deadline just passed yesterday, which means users can no longer listen to podcasts on the service. Check out the screenshot of the notification below.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Google also linked to a support page, which notes that users can defer their subscription migration until July. Either way, US consumers can’t use the service to listen to podcasts anymore.
In saying so, a Google representative has confirmed (h/t: Rodrigo Ghedin) that people outside the US can still use Google Podcasts until June 24. I’m still able to use Google Podcasts in South Africa, and the app doesn’t seem to display the shutdown notice for me unless I switch to the US via a VPN. I’m able to play podcasts with or without the VPN enabled, so I’m not 100% sure whether a VPN alone is enough to stave off the inevitable shutdown.
In any event, there’s no shortage of great podcast apps if you’re a Google Podcasts refugee looking for an alternative option.
