Google Podcasts : The Podcast App Android Needed
Google on 19th June announced the much awaited Google Podcasts app which looks like a very well thought of Podcast app, Google has tried to bring a podcasting solution multiple times in the past with Google Play Music and Google Listen but both of the solutions seemed incomplete in some or other way.
Google Podcasts, on the other hand, finally seems like a complete and well-cooked podcasting app for a change. Apple’s iOS ships with a Podcast app since forever and Google Podcasts can very well be called “the” podcast app for Android.
I have been fiddling around with the app since the launch day and here are my thoughts on the app.
For starters, it’s beautiful! Just have a look at that sleek and minimal interface. The app uses the Google’s new design philosophy, which might look familiar to someone who has used the also recently announced Google News app.
When you open up the app the first thing you see is the Podcasts you have subscribed to and it is followed by the “For you” section which shows the newly released episodes, the episode you were listening to and the ones you downloaded.
The sections which follow are the recommendations which Google’s AI-powered recommendation engine thinks you will like based on the Podcasts you are already listening to and I must say the recommendations are pretty amazing, I found a new Podcast to listen to as soon as I added the Podcasts I already listen to everywhere else.
In case you are interested, here is an extended screenshot of what all Google suggested me based on the Podcasts I added.
As one might expect, the app is deeply integrated with Google Assistant so that it can be used in conjunction with Google Assistant on Google Home and other devices which support the Google Assistant.
The app supports the “Continue Anywhere” feature, so as the name suggests you can start a podcast on your phone while you are running and continue it on your Google Home when you are preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Google has promised to bring this feature everywhere, so, soon you will be able to continue the Podcast you were listening in your Android Auto powered Car onto the Google Home Mini in your bedroom.
The app also has all the basic playback features one would expect from an Audio app: forward, reverse, playback speed tuning et al.
Google, like most Podcast apps, won’t be paying the creators directly but creators are allowed to have minimal promotional and sponsored content as they already do. Google has also added a provision for the listeners to donate to their favourite creators. For now, this button takes you to a link the creator has provided but I guess soon this will be integrated with the Google eco-system and you will be able to pay using the payment methods already added to your Google Play account.
You can download the app here if you are on Android. I am pretty sure the iOS app will be out soon.
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Originally published at redefined.tech on June 22, 2018.
