Google Podcasts is about to become a reality, thanks to a product page spotted that reveals details about the upcoming Android app. Having been in the works for a long time now, podcast search is soon about to be official with an app coming soon to the Google Play Store. As for functionality, users can put in the name of their favourite podcast into Google Search to get relevant results. As for the upcoming app, there will be no change to the existing podcast experience in Google Play Music. Additionally, an iOS app will not be available at launch. Google is expected to announce a Creator program for budding storytellers in the audio format.
In a listing on Product Hunt, Zack Reneau-Wedeen, Product Manager, Google seems to have accidentally released information prematurely around the Google Podcasts app that is expected to be officially released soon. The app is said to offer "seamless integration" with Google Assistant and arrive with certain AI-based features like personalised recommendations. Android Police notes that the Google Podcasts app is expected to be listed at this link on Google Play. The report notes that the app really isn't a standalone offering, but as had been spotted in April, will just be a shortcut to the podcast functionality to the Google Search app. This type of shortcut app is similar to the standalone apps for Google Assistant and Google Lens.
Photo Credit: Product Hunt/ Zack Reneau-Wedeen
Reneau-Wedeen also details that progress can be synced through Google Assistant allowing users to continue playback from their Android smartphones and Google Home smart speakers, and vice-versa. The Google Podcasts app will also offer standard features such as subscribing, downloading, and changing playback speed. The app will access to over 2 million podcasts across all 47 Play Store languages.
An online form is currently live for the Google Creator program that invites podcast creators "to help promote inclusive storytelling in podcasting." Users can enter details such as the size of their podcast group, their aims, and the amount of funding required. A page on Google Developers has also gone live that offers guidelines for podcasters looking to feature their content on the app.
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