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November 14, 2024:
    New US podcast consumption data from AnalyticsIQ suggests that YouTube is the most popular place for podcast listening, with 59% of people saying they’d listened to a podcast on it in the past three months. Comedy is the #1 podcast category; 23% say they’ve bought products because of a podcast ad. Not given in the report: the survey was undertaken in Q1/24 (which explains why 16% of listeners say they were using Google Podcasts, which closed in March).
September 2, 2024:
July 30, 2024:
July 2, 2024:
July 1, 2024:
    Google Podcasts appears to have finally been turned off internationally, a week late. It’s still available to install on Google Play, though, which must be confusing for new podcast users, because the app doesn’t do anything any more. We hope they remove it from there soon.
June 28, 2024:
    Five days after its international closure, Google is still offering Google Podcasts for Android users on Google Play. Meanwhile, the iOS app now says, in a splash screen, that Google Podcasts goes away on Aug 30 (but still works); and Google Podcasts on the web has been closed again, and also carries the same new date.
June 27, 2024:
    Zombie news now - and, four days after its international closure, Zombie Google Podcasts continues to refuse to die. In fact, it’s worse than that: the bodies of the recently deceased are returning to life and attacking the living - because over the last 24 hours, astonishingly, Google Podcasts’s website has been turned back on again and now happily plays podcasts once more. The app is still available to install in Google Play, but has now been removed from the Apple App Store; it continues to function on both platforms.
June 26, 2024:
    Three days after its international closure, Zombie Google Podcasts is still alive - the app still plays podcasts, and is still available in the iOS and Android app stores outside the US. Zombie Google Podcasts Manager is still accepting new shows, too. We understand that Zombie Google Podcasts can be stopped by removing the head or destroying the brain.
June 25, 2024:
    Brainnnns... Zombie Google Podcasts is still alive in the iOS and Android app stores outside the US: and it still works fine, despite a note saying that it closes on June 23. The podcast app that won’t die - we’re off to the Winchester to have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.
June 24, 2024:
    Google Podcasts, which closed on April 2 in the US, was scheduled to finally close globally yesterday. Founder Zack Reneau-Wedeen left in Sept 2021, and the app has had no feature updates since. Google Podcasts started making its way to the Google Graveyard in Jan 2023, when Google Podcasts was removed from Google Search. The third attempt at a podcast player from Google, it was almost six years old.
June 19, 2024:
    Libsyn stats for May show another new low for Apple Podcasts, and another new high for Spotify. The iOS/Android ratio is also at a new low. Google Podcasts slipped to 7th place; it closes internationally this Sunday.
June 14, 2024:
May 24, 2024:
May 2, 2024:
    We have a date: Google Podcasts is to close, globally, on June 23 (according to an email sent to a UK user). July 29 is the end date for users to export subscriptions.
April 23, 2024:
    Google appears to have set a date for Google Podcasts to be switched off in countries outside the US. A support document has been updated to say “Users outside of the United States will be able to use Google Podcasts until mid-to-late June 2024”, 9to5Google has spotted.
April 16, 2024:
April 8, 2024:
April 4, 2024:
April 3, 2024:
    Google Podcasts is now said to have closed in the US (it’s still available in every other country, with no closure date yet). David Pearce from The Verge writes an excoriating article criticising Google. “The podcast app is only the latest good Google thing to die. And if Google ever wants us to buy into its promises again, this has to stop.”
April 1, 2024:
March 27, 2024:
March 7, 2024:
March 4, 2024:
    We removed Google Podcasts links from our podcast pages today: the app closes in some countries at some point this month. There is no direct replacement in Android, though YouTube Music will play podcasts via RSS feeds (and we’ll guide you through the process if you hit the YouTube Music icon).
February 26, 2024:
February 12, 2024:
    AntennaPod, an open-source podcast app for Android, has hit 150,000 monthly active users on Google Play. As can be seen above, the app saw significant growth on Sep 26, the day that it was announced Google Podcasts is to close. Much of this growth has been in the US, according to data seen by Podnews. “While we undoubtedly have a small market share, we're proud of this increase,” says @keunes, one of the volunteer project maintainers.
January 25, 2024:
January 10, 2024:
December 21, 2023:
December 19, 2023:
    9to5Google has published a look at the Google Podcasts migration process to YouTube Music. It also reports that “mark as played” will be coming shortly as a feature in the YouTube Music app. It has also added a “podcast recommendation” notification, which notifies you of podcasts you might like.
December 11, 2023:
    You might see many different people telling you that Google Podcasts is to close in April 2024. Not quite true... that’s its US closure date only. The rest of the world get to keep it for a little longer. Anyway, here are the migration details and an example of the OPML file it spits out.
December 8, 2023:
December 6, 2023:
December 1, 2023:
    Podcast app PodcastGuru has written up clear guides on how to migrate from Google Podcasts, for both Android users and those on iOS.
November 28, 2023:
November 27, 2023:
    Acast is adding dynamic ads targeted to listeners on Google Podcasts which closes next year, pointing them to this blog post helping them with other podcast apps to change to.
November 2, 2023:
    The biggest independent podcast host Buzzsprout released its network stats for October. Year-on-year, Apple Podcasts has increased download share by 3.5%; Spotify by 3.6%; and Google Podcasts increased its share by 0.3%. Total downloads were up 12.6% on the year, though dropped slightly month-on-month.
October 13, 2023:
October 4, 2023:
October 3, 2023:
September 29, 2023:
September 27, 2023:
September 15, 2023:
August 14, 2023:
    Bad news: YouTube's Kai Chuk is no longer answering questions at Podcast Movement (Wed, 2.30pm, Aurora C). Good news: his place will be taken by the Product Lead Podcasting at Google, Steve McLendon. A former co-founder of 60dB, he's been involved in the launch of podcasts on YouTube, but also looks after Google Podcasts - so knows a thing or two about the whole space. We hope to be there (if we can squeeze in) - the session's sponsored by Ausha.
July 6, 2023:
June 1, 2023:
May 17, 2023:
    A new podcast search experience in Google is being rolled out in the US. Users on mobile who search for generic terms like "kids podcasts" or "news podcasts" now get individual podcast cards, which, when clicked on, include links to players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. The podcast pages also contain recent episode titles (and display on tablets as well as phones). Links to Apple Podcasts appear on Android, too (taking you to the web experience); the new search experience does not contain any podcast links to YouTube.
May 16, 2023:
    The Made by Google podcast returned yesterday (switching hosts from Podigee to Acast). The announcement tells us to "subscribe on Google Podcasts (of course), Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts". The newest podcast platform made by Google is, of course, YouTube, but this podcast from Google hasn't been uploaded there.
March 17, 2023:

Private Eye promotes its Page 94 podcast in a not-so-subtle way on the magazine's subscriber packaging - notably, using the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts icons.

March 16, 2023:
    YouTube Music on the Google Play store has more than a billion downloads on Android. (That makes it ten times more downloaded than Google Podcasts.) However, it has 1m ratings on iOS (Spotify has 25m) and 4.56m reviews on Android (Spotify has 28m).
March 10, 2023:
    Our Editor James Cridland shared the results of the Podnews Report Card at Podcast Movement. We'll have this data in full in Monday's Podnews; but overall, Apple has increased its lead over Spotify as the most favoured podcast platform used by podcast creators. YouTube is eagerly awaited by many publishers; and Google Podcasts saw a disappointing fall in ratings from those in the industry.
February 13, 2023:
February 8, 2023:
    Google tells us that Google Podcasts carousel links in Google Search (which the company said will go away at the end of this week) are being replaced with a new feature. A spokesperson told us: "We are always working to make it as easy as possible to find helpful information in Search, regardless of the form that content takes. Our existing podcast features will gradually be replaced with a new, single feature, What to Podcast (currently live on mobile for English users in the US.) This feature provides detailed information about podcasts, links to listen to shows on different platforms, and links to podcasters’ own websites, where available."
February 7, 2023:
    After our exclusive last month about Google removing podcasts from Google search, Google has confirmed the move in an announcement in Google Podcasts Manager. Additionally, the tool will no longer give any data under "how people find your show" from Feb 13, meaning an end to the research tool. Podcasts continue to appear in Google search results, but not linked to Google's own player; we've reached out to Google for comment.
January 30, 2023:
January 19, 2023:
January 18, 2023:
    Exclusive: Google Podcasts has been removed from Google Search.
January 6, 2023:
December 22, 2022:
December 5, 2022:
    Buzzsprout has posted its network statistics for November. The only regularly released IAB-compliant numbers, the numbers show a slight drop for Apple Podcasts (now 38.2% of all downloads), and a smaller rise for Spotify (up to 26.6%). Google Podcasts is the third largest podcast app, with 2.7% of all downloads.
October 27, 2022:
October 13, 2022:
    Stats from the Google Podcasts Manager seemed to have frozen on Sep 28, according to a number of readers. We alerted Google, who tell us it's now been fixed. (While Google's play numbers are low, the SEO advice it gives is helpful: here's where to claim your feed.)
October 7, 2022:
September 19, 2022:
September 8, 2022:
August 23, 2022:
July 28, 2022:
June 24, 2022:
    This isn't really the place for our own opinions, but we'd suggest the official buttons for Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts should be on any podcast website.
June 15, 2022:
    The Reuters Institute and University of Oxford has released the Digital News Report 2022. Interviewing a total of 92,000 people across 46 countries, the data shows podcasting use is growing again after a pause due to the pandemic. Spotify is continuing to gain ground over Apple and Google Podcasts, and YouTube also shows increasing use. Now, 34% of people in surveyed countries listen to podcasts (up from 31% in 2021): they are most popular in Ireland, Sweden and Norway. Choice quote: "In our qualitative research in both the UK and US, it was striking how many younger people regularly listen to The Joe Rogan Experience, even as they worry about some of the content."
June 10, 2022:
June 6, 2022:
    The only global statistics produced to the IAB standard, Buzzsprout's download stats suggest that Apple Podcasts is still growing. Apple had 40.7% of all downloads in May, vs Spotify's 25.3% (and Google Podcasts's 2.5%). Separate data from other sources suggest that Spotify reaches more people, though.
May 13, 2022:
April 19, 2022:
    First look: TED Audio Collective has signed with Supercast to offer paid subscriptions for TED Talks Daily. TED members will be able to enjoy a premium ad-free version of TED Talks Daily, plus all of the existing perks they get with TED membership, like exclusive programming, social events, and more. Supercast works in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and many other apps.
March 23, 2022:
March 2, 2022:
    Are indie podcast apps gaining ground? Buzzsprout report Apple had 35.7% of all downloads in February (down from 37.2%); Spotify 27.9% (also down from 28%). Google Podcasts has grown to 2.5%; Amazon Music has grown to 0.8%; and Facebook is up slightly to 0.5%. In their official podcast, Buzzsprout also mentions "a big update soon".
February 23, 2022:
    Finally, a new podcast by Google has launched (see below). Google's press release says it's "available on Apple, Spotify and all major podcast platforms." The first episode looks at team culture: imagine the team culture at Google Podcasts after even Google has forgotten it exists.
February 18, 2022:
February 10, 2022:
February 2, 2022:
January 31, 2022:
    The BBC, funded by a mandatory $215 charge on UK households, says in its announcement that "this gives licence fee payers even more value". It's unclear how licence payers derive value from being unable to listen to programmes they've paid for in the podcast app of their choice. The BBC has been increasingly aggressive against an open ecosystem: it blocks its podcasts from Google Podcasts, and pulled its live streams in the UK from TuneIn.
January 28, 2022:
    Acast says: (our emphasis) "Acast+ will work on all podcast listening platforms that give their users the ability to add any RSS feed of their choice. This means that a few podcast players - like Spotify - are currently excluded because they work differently. However, we are part of their OAP programme and we are continuing to work with them on their approach to how they manage subscriptions to ensure that the end product meets what's best for Acast creators and the open ecosystem - which is for podcasters to have direct relationships with their listeners. Acast+ works on the majority of podcast apps and players including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Castbox and is available to access for 80% of our listeners."
January 12, 2022:
    A content warning and privacy notice has been added to the Google Podcasts app, in multiple languages and territories. The app is a top 5 podcast player according to most podcast hosts - the notice links to this page.
December 27, 2021:
    Voxalyze has published their Podcast Discovery & Consumption report. The company surveyed listeners across four countries (the US, UK, France and Germany) to see if there are any local differences. Podcast listeners use 1.9 platforms on average, and Amazon Music is surprisingly high in their results. Google Podcasts reaches up to 15% of all users, but only 4% in the UK (possibly because the BBC blocks their podcasts from it).
December 13, 2021:
    Google Podcasts doing odd things? Our RSS Helper is a little bookmarklet which lets you see what RSS feed Google Podcasts has decided to use for your podcast this week. (For Podland, it's currently preferring an old podcast feed that's correctly 301-redirecting to the right one. Stupid Google Podcasts.)
December 6, 2021:
    A Sky News investigation in the UK has discovered antisemitism, racism and white supremacist material in podcasts on Spotify. Spotify has removed 150 hours of content after the news channel's report. "In some cases, explicit slurs could be found in episode titles and descriptions while album artwork displayed imagery adopted by white supremacists," the story says. The podcasts are still available on Google Podcasts, it adds.
November 9, 2021:
November 3, 2021:
October 13, 2021:
    Google Podcasts is blocking access to some podcasts to under 18s and users who aren't signed-in, we've discovered. We've more details in depth, below.
October 11, 2021:
October 8, 2021:

Your help for a story: is your podcast being randomly marked as not suitable for under 18s by Google Podcasts? We'd love to hear from you, in confidence: editor@podnews.net

October 6, 2021:
September 30, 2021:
September 23, 2021:
September 16, 2021:
September 6, 2021:
    Data: in Germany, the Online Audio Monitor 2021 has been released. 25% of Germans are listening to podcasts at least once a month, a figure that's increased by 26% year-on-year. Spotify is the #1 podcast platform (48.5%), YouTube is #2 (44%), Apple Podcasts is #7 (12.5%), and Google Podcasts is #9 (9.5%). (Thanks, Steffen!)
September 3, 2021:
    Podland this week looks at how Google Podcasts is going, and includes a 'boostagram corner'. It's hosted by Sam Sethi and James Cridland.
September 1, 2021:
    The founder of Google Podcasts, Zack Reneau-Wedeen, has left Google. He's now working on cryptocurrency for investment platform Robinhood - though we understand he hadn't been working on podcasts within the company for some time. Gabe Bender, Google Podcasts' product lead, left in April. So who's driving Google Podcasts today? Steve McLendon, a former co-founder of 60dB (which Google bought in 2017), describes himself on Twitter as "working on podcast stuff at Google". The team is also working on a tech refresh of Feedburner.
August 31, 2021:
August 24, 2021:
    The implementation adds ?t=(seconds) at the end of the URL. YouTube and Spotify use this too, as does Pocket Casts and Podfriend, and it works on Overcast. Google Podcasts works differently; Apple Podcasts doesn't let you do this at all.
August 19, 2021:
August 18, 2021:
    A variety of NPR podcasts are now on an optional paid-for podcast subscription platform. NPR Plus is powered by Supporting Cast. Shows can also be subscribed-to via Apple Podcasts (here's Code Switch) at the same price; NPR Plus works on most podcast apps, including Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts and Apple Podcasts.
August 10, 2021:
August 9, 2021:
August 4, 2021:
    Google Podcasts is emailing every podcaster with last month's play statistics. If you've not got your email, claim your podcast at Google Podcasts Manager. (A reminder that since Google Podcasts doesn't normally auto-download, so your figures will be lower than platforms like Apple or Overcast which do).
July 6, 2021:
    For the first time, all major podcast apps display episode notes in the same way. As Podnews testing now reveals, in the <description> field, all major podcast apps now support <a href links, <p> paragraphs, <ul><li> bullet points, and make URLs clickable automatically. You should keep episode notes below 4,000 characters, though, to ensure they display everywhere (Apple has a limit of 4,000, Google Podcasts has a limit of 5,000).
May 21, 2021:
May 7, 2021:
    How long can your episode notes be? Preliminary tests seem to show that PocketCasts, Overcast and Spotify deal with at least 10,000 characters; Google Podcasts (Android) truncates after about 5,000 characters; and we gather that Apple Podcasts currently truncates after about 4,000 characters.
April 23, 2021:
April 19, 2021:
April 15, 2021:
April 14, 2021:
April 7, 2021:
April 1, 2021:
    PodClock is a new podcast about time, focusing on the days, hours and minutes that we all experience in our own way. Hosted by Podnews Editor James Cridland, it's updated regularly with new information, and is in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all your favourite podcast apps except Spotify which, let's face it, is nobody's favourite.
March 26, 2021:
March 24, 2021:
March 12, 2021:
March 10, 2021:
    Playing with the beta, it appears the new Apple Podcasts app will not automatically download new episodes when you follow a new show: bringing it into line with Spotify and Google Podcasts.
March 9, 2021:
March 5, 2021:
    Analytics within Google Podcasts Manager has been improved. You can now see a subscriber count for each show; and a new "share podcast" menu (under the settings icon) lets you grab your direct link and a Google Podcasts badge. Most importantly, the data is now updated faster, with new data appearing in about 24 hours. (Most podcast hosts agree that Google Podcasts is the #3 podcast app, though with around 2% of all downloads, your numbers may look quite small.)
March 3, 2021:
    Omny Studio's CEO, Sharon Taylor, has released her predictions for podcasting in 2021. The company, owned by Triton Digital, puts Amazon Music ahead of Google Podcasts for downloads in 2020.
February 15, 2021:
February 5, 2021:
    Google Podcasts is getting a little tweak in its playback screen, reports AutoEvolution. We're yet to see the update, which is restricted to beta users. We are, though, seeing episode images at least some of the time.
January 27, 2021:
    Libsyn has added the namespace for Podcast Index and Google Podcasts by default in their feeds "in preparation for productisation". This work now allows advanced podcasters to hand-code additional tags into feeds at their own risk - "picture a big flashing neon proceed-with-caution light", said Rob Walch in The Feed episode 185 (47'04").
January 25, 2021:
    We've updated our look at episode notes and episode images in major podcast apps. We discover that Spotify doesn't follow the RSS specification, sadly; Google Podcasts only shows the first 9,000 characters of episode notes; and that Apple does support episode images but only if you're, er, not subscribed.
January 20, 2021:
    The most popular way to listen to podcasts in Russia is Apple Podcasts, with Yandex Music occupying the #2 position, according to new research on Russian podcast listening. Google Podcasts is #3, with 8% of listeners, according to an article by Эдуард Царионов.
January 18, 2021:
    At some point recently, Google Podcasts has switched its URL structure for individual podcast episodes. If you care, it's now… /feed/:rssuri/episode/:guid where the two variables are BASE64-encoded. (What if every app and service supported this basic link pattern?)
January 11, 2021:
    Google Podcasts: 14
January 6, 2021:
December 17, 2020:
    We understand that Google Play Music's infrastructure for podcasting is finally being turned off today: the app hasn't been available for most users for the last month. Now's the time to check your website and switch the Google Play logo for a Google Podcasts one. Orange was so 2020.
December 16, 2020:
December 4, 2020:
    The Google Podcasts app on Android, iOS and the web is now an actual podcasts app: because from today it supports subscribing by RSS feed.
December 3, 2020:

Thank you to our latest gold supporter, Google Podcasts: we've reported on it being the 3rd most popular podcast app recently, and we're excited to see it grow in 2021. Here's the Google Podcasts Manager to claim your show and see more data about it. Be like Google.

December 2, 2020:
    For the month of November, Buzzsprout report that 32.3% of their downloads went to Apple Podcasts, with 25.5% of downloads to Spotify, and Google Podcasts getting 2.6%. The company tells us that, after some tweaks to their algorithm, this is a more accurate reflection of total downloads to Apple Podcasts than previous data from the company.
November 24, 2020:
November 19, 2020:
    YouTube Music is launching audio ads, says Variety. The product replaced Google Play Music this month; while podcasts now live in Google Podcasts, monetisation for audio could be useful here, too.
November 16, 2020:
    Spotify is taking a bite out of Apple. Buzzsprout has shared the top podcast 'agents' on their platform. Apple Podcasts accounts for just 47% of all plays and downloads, Spotify for 24.4%, and Google Podcasts is third with 2.4%. These are the lowest numbers yet for Apple Podcasts from a podcast host. (Libsyn's data only shows mobile app downloads, and has a higher percentage of US downloads).
October 23, 2020:
    Just announced - Audio Recess, a new, free, virtual event from PRX and the Google Podcasts Creator Program. It'll happen on November 21, and is open to all.
October 22, 2020:
    MIDiA has posted a survey claiming that Spotify is now the most widely used podcast platform. It says that 42% of podcast listeners use Spotify, with Apple at 32%, and Google Podcasts at an un-disclosed third place; and that 14% are weekly podcast users. The data covers the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany and France, weighted to country population size.
October 21, 2020:
    Google Podcasts is now the third-biggest podcast app. Libsyn's Rob Walch unveiled the company's download statistics in The Feed. It is, though, still five times smaller than Spotify, the #2. According to Libsyn, which gets 62% of its downloads from the US, total downloads to Pocket Casts dropped below 1%.
October 15, 2020:
    Google smart-speakers use Google Podcasts, as you'd guess. But what if you use Pocket Casts, or AntennaPod, or even Spotify? A new "podcasts" setting section has been spotted by AndroidPolice, enabling you to change the default podcast provider in Google Assistant in future.
October 14, 2020:
    Google has announced a new feature for Google Podcasts Manager. Podcasters can see how many times their show appeared in Google search, as well as top discovered episodes and search terms that led to their podcast. Podnews's podcast got 10,745 impressions in Search in the last 28 days (our website got 4.2m though). Google have also added optimisation tips for podcasters.
October 1, 2020:
September 9, 2020:
September 4, 2020:
    Yesterday, we covered a US-only personalised news feature within Google Podcasts. If you're outside the US and on Android, you can hear a non-personalised version by a) using a VPN (like ProtonVPN) and connecting to a US server; b) opening Google Podcasts, hit your account image and choose "use without an account"; c) hit "Explore", go to "News", and pull down to refresh the view.
September 3, 2020:
August 25, 2020:
    Super-exciting user-agent corner After we suggested it, Podlink is now correctly setting the useragent of its RSS crawler, greatly helping podcasters who use their universal links. PodTail has also set their own RSS crawler's useragent, thus allowing better monitoring of their browser-based podcast player; and universal link supplier Podfollow is also correctly setting their RSS user-agent after Podnews got in touch. Google Podcasts is also fixing a bug in its Android app, which we spotted was not giving a correct useragent for automated downloads. If our traffic is anything to go by, that means an extra 20% of downloads correctly attributed to Google Podcasts. Find all the useragents in this Github repo.
August 21, 2020:
    If you help podcasters publish their shows, or work in support for a podcast host, you may have wondered "Where is Google Podcasts getting this podcast feed from?!" We wrote a Google Podcasts RSS Helper today, designed to answer that question. At last!
August 20, 2020:
August 18, 2020:
    If that 240m downloads number includes all podcast listening for the BBC (it's a little unclear if BBC Sounds's podcast plays are included), that would mean an equivalent of 80m downloads per month, and would place it behind iHeartRadio, NPR and the New York Times in the Podtrac rankings. The BBC blocks Google Podcasts.
August 6, 2020:
    Google Play Music's podcast portal will no longer accept new podcasts "in the next few weeks", according to an email from the company; and they'll be removing it entirely later in the year. You should be using Google Podcasts Manager instead.
August 5, 2020:
August 3, 2020:
    Libsyn report that Apple continues to be the #1 podcast app, accounting for 68.2% of mobile downloads. According to the podcast host, which is the largest paid podcast host in the world, Spotify is at 8.3% and Google Podcasts at just 1.3%. Sharing these figures on The Feed, Rob Walch adds: "The death of Apple Podcasts has been greatly over-stated".
July 24, 2020:
July 20, 2020:
July 15, 2020:
    Google Podcasts has changed its error page on the web recently. We used to scrape for <title>Error 404 to programmatically see if the podcast wasn't available; now, try scraping for ">This podcast is not available, including the closing portion of the HTML tag. We've updated our Google Podcasts FAQ.
July 3, 2020:
July 2, 2020:
June 26, 2020:
June 17, 2020:
    Google Podcasts' "subscribe" links occasionally change, if the system finds a better RSS feed to use - and that can break your existing links. The Urbanista 2.0 podcast's website, over here - a mental health podcast in Portuguese, focusing on a more meaningful life - has a brilliantly clever and simple idea for linking to Google Podcasts... link to a search instead. Allow us to steal that (we messed something up with our feed the other day, so our normal link doesn't currently work).
May 28, 2020:
    Veritone has published a white paper around topic extraction from podcasts and what you can use this new technology for. (Google Podcasts has automatic topic extraction within its player, incidentally)
May 26, 2020:
May 21, 2020:
May 19, 2020:
    We've asked Google what safeguards they are putting in place to not penalise this independent developer again; and to explain why their own app, Google Podcasts, was not removed for linking to identical podcast episodes. We'll happily give you their response if we get one.
May 18, 2020:
    Google's AdMob banned Podcast Addict in November 2019, and once more in early April 2020, for linking to adult-themed podcasts or to copyright material: after appeal, AdMob agreed both times that Podcast Addict had not violated any policies. In 2017, the European Union fined Google €2.4bn for unfairly favouring its own products in search. Google Podcasts, which has the same podcasts in it, is still available in Google Play.
May 15, 2020:
    Google's on the move - in an email to podcasters using the old Google Play Music Podcasts platform, Google have said that this service will no longer be accepting new podcasts from early July. (Use Google Podcasts Manager instead.)
May 13, 2020:
May 6, 2020:
May 5, 2020:
    Switching podcast hosts? Because Google Podcasts uses your RSS feed in its button, you'll also need to change your Google Podcasts badge or button on your website. The company tells Podnews that they "aim to automatically redirect a badge URL to the canonical feed soon". It follows the itunes:new-feed-url for your existing subscribers, though - so you'll not lose any.
May 4, 2020:
    Opinion: We like the QR codes, but the downside is, of course, than 80% of the world (and about 48% of the US) runs Android, for whom your Apple Podcasts link is not as helpful as one for Google Podcasts. So, our own podcast pages include badges and QR codes that work on all phones - search for your podcast, then find the page at the bottom marked link to this podcast. You can also download the code for your own website.
April 27, 2020:
April 14, 2020:

A favour: we're testing something out. Please could you take a minute to follow this link to listen to us on Google Podcasts - on the app or on the web, that's both fine. Our podcast is only two minutes of your time - you could play it while you read the rest of this. Thank you!

April 13, 2020:
    Cody from Crate Media tips us off that if you've moved podcast host, your "old" show feed might still get found and catalogued by Google Podcasts. Best to delete old accounts and test accounts, if you've any. (Do a search on the Google Podcasts website). Thanks, Cody!
April 9, 2020:
    Google are, though, sending some people an early invite to something called the Google Podcasts Manager, an analytics tool which 'helps you get to know your audience better and reach new listeners'. We've asked for a bit more information.
April 8, 2020:
    First spotted by Rob Walch on The Feed, Google Play Music appears to have finally removed podcasts from their iOS app. A note saying "for iPhone or iPad, podcasts are not available in the Google Play Music app" has also appeared on Google's help pages, though there's no helpful link to the Google Podcasts app, which has replaced it on iOS.
April 7, 2020:
April 6, 2020:
    If your audio is only served using HTTP (perhaps you self-host), it can no longer be played on HTTPS websites as of now, if your listeners use Google Chrome. As one example - with Chrome, this podcast won't play on the Apple Podcasts website nor on Google Podcasts, and just silently fails to play. The good news? Our podcast page now catches the error, and at least offers an alternative way to listen. (Earlier, we misread Google Chrome's announcements, and thought we had until October to fix this. That's not the case.)
April 3, 2020:
March 27, 2020:
March 26, 2020:
March 25, 2020:
March 24, 2020:
    Google Podcasts is getting a redesign. "The new Google Podcasts" is rolling out to a handful of users, prior to a wider release. It includes auto-downloading, and moves Google's recommendations to a new "Discover" tab. You can also queue podcast episodes for playback. The app has already been downloaded more than 10 million times.
March 19, 2020:
    The BBC has released a statement of how it plans to keep the UK "informed, educated and entertained" during the coronavirus outbreak, including plans to rerun old comedies and broadcast new cultural programming. (We'd note that this public service broadcaster, paid-for by the UK public, is still witholding programmes from Google Podcasts users).
March 12, 2020:
    Thanks to our personal supporters like Mike Rapin, we did some additional work on our podcast pages today to properly check Google Podcasts for the multiple RSS feeds that Libsyn produces. If you find Podnews helpful to you, we're on Patreon. And thank you, Mike!
March 11, 2020:
    Google Play Music Podcasts - a separate thing from Google Podcasts - is apparently no longer accepting submissions, according to Libsyn. Libsyn have removed their separate destination for the service. This might mean we might need to remove this website soon, too. Here's hoping.
March 10, 2020:
March 3, 2020:
February 28, 2020:
February 24, 2020:
February 18, 2020:

Thank you to our many personal supporters, including Karin Hoegh, for your ongoing support. You helped us fix a bug with our 'link direct to an episode' page if - as in this case - the podcast isn't on Google Podcasts.

February 12, 2020:
    We've discovered that HubHopper, an Indian podcast app and website, is altering and republishing public podcast RSS feeds. This has the effect of spamming Google Podcasts (which is already listing these copies in preference to some official podcast feeds), and at least for our podcast, our full show notes have been removed, our category altered, links added to their website instead of ours, and an additional click-counter added to our audio links. Other companies have done similar things in the past, but quickly stopped. HubHopper have not responded to our emails for comment.
February 7, 2020:
February 4, 2020:
February 3, 2020:
    Popular iOS podcast app Overcast has had an update, including a rebuilt Voice Boost function, which boosts the volume of podcasts to make them easier to hear. It promises a significantly better-sounding "boost" to podcasts, and normalises all podcasts to -14 LUFS, a level that developer Marco Arment claims "closely matches the volume of Siri and most iOS turn-by-turn navigation voices". (Google Podcasts? Please licence this. Thanks.)
January 30, 2020:
January 23, 2020:
January 15, 2020:
January 10, 2020:
January 8, 2020:
January 3, 2020:
    Good news: Google Podcasts on the web appears to have changed its error message for podcasts that don't exist: reverting to a standard Google error (though unfortunately with an HTTP 200 OK header). Searching the 300KB (!) of HTML returned for <title>Error 404 seems to have the required effect. We've added our check back to our podcast pages, and our podcast availability overview.
December 25, 2019:
    Google Podcasts is working on a number of new features, which 9to5google has worked out how to enable. Coming "soon", kind of, maybe, is a "History" tab, so you know what you've been listening to; a play queue (so you can choose what's coming up next); and auto-downloads (first spotted in January).
December 23, 2019:
    Podfollow, a free URL that redirects your listeners to the right podcast app on their device (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, your website) has just had its 1,000,000th click thru. The service now offers free stats as well as automatic social images and has announced more features in the new year.
December 19, 2019:
December 16, 2019:
    Transistor has published Google Play and Google Podcasts – what's the difference?, noting that, after 18 months, a Google search for "how do I submit my podcast to Google Podcasts?" returns instructions for Google Play Music Podcasts, which is a different and competing service that the company is still running.
December 13, 2019:
December 10, 2019:
    18 months after the launch of Google Podcasts, Google Play Music Podcasts, an unconnected and competing Google-branded podcast player, is still available.
November 27, 2019:
    Google Podcasts has more than doubled in the past year, up from 0.91% last December. (Google Play Music Podcasts, an unconnected and competing Google-branded podcast player, is still confusingly available).
November 12, 2019:
November 8, 2019:
    Google Podcasts has had a small tweak, reports Android Police, enabling multple episode select. You'll need to be running the latest beta of the Google app to see it. The product still has no automated downloads.
November 1, 2019:
October 25, 2019:
October 24, 2019:
    Google Podcasts was launched 16 months ago. We note with a small degree of exasperation that Google Play Music Podcasts, an entirely different product, is still going: confusing podcast publishers every day who don't understand the difference.
October 22, 2019:
    Long Distance, the first and only documentary podcast series about stories in the Filipino diaspora - and part of the inaugural Google Podcasts creator program with PRX - returns for a new season shortly and drops a new trailer today. (Simplecast)
October 21, 2019:
October 16, 2019:
    A few small tweaks to Google Podcasts on the web have been spotted. Most importantly, the service is now prominently linking to publishers' websites (rather than hidden behind a menu option as previously). (Neither Apple Podcasts nor Spotify appear to link to publisher websites at all, depriving podcasters of potential revenue).
October 7, 2019:
September 30, 2019:
    YouTube Music is to be preinstalled on all new Android phones. This means that Google Play Music will no longer be, and gives a further reason to stop promoting the dormant service for podcast use. The (different) Google Podcasts player is pre-installed in all phones, but the app itself still doesn't, it seems, come as standard.
September 12, 2019:
    Produced in Spanish from Chile, Las Raras starts their fourth season today, with stories of migration, online harassment, and natural disasters. They were the only Spanish-language project selected for the first round of the Google Podcasts Creator Program; the podcast tells stories of freedom about people who resist norms and challenge the status quo.
September 11, 2019:
    Exclusive: The amount of listening to podcasts on the web is increasing, according to new data supplied to Podnews by Simplecast. The data represents all Simplecast shows, and shows plays from Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts on the web. "Many podcast hosts would just credit 'web browsers' with this data," said Stephen Hallgren, CTO of Simplecast. "But because Simplecast is able to check HTTP referrers, we're also able to see how successful Apple Podcasts Preview is on the web, and how popular Google Podcasts plays are within Google Search. All these metrics are IAB compliant and are reportable through our Audience dashboard."
September 9, 2019:
August 22, 2019:
    If you missed our Editor talking about Google Podcasts at Podcast Movement this year, here's the talk, painstakingly recreated on YouTube.
August 21, 2019:
    Your podcast host will probably mark these as a play from a browser, rather than from Google Podcasts. (Developers: use the referrer.)
August 20, 2019:
August 16, 2019:
    Podcast Movement wraps up later today. Our Editor is presenting a session on Google Podcasts (10.00am, Gatlin E6).
August 13, 2019:
August 9, 2019:
    Google have officially announced that podcast episodes will now appear in Google Search for users searching in the US in English. "We’ll soon add the ability for publishers to specify a playback destination, such as a third-party website or app," the announcement says - perhaps for companies like the BBC and Radio France who deliberately blocked Google Podcasts.
August 7, 2019:
    Google Podcasts has updated its web interface, unfortunately breaking the ability for podcast hosts (or us) to check whether podcasts are correctly listed in the platform. We've removed those checks from our podcast pages.
July 29, 2019:
    Timestorm, a podcast selected for the initial PRX Google Podcasts creator program, launches this week. It's an audio fiction podcast with two twelve year-old twins who travel through time to save Puerto Rico's true history. (Cocotazo Media)
July 15, 2019:
    Exclusive: If you're seeing podcasts downloaded by a user-agent called googlebot-video - Google have confirmed that this useragent is used to index audio for all Google products including Google Podcasts. "The audio is used as a signal for ranking and recommendation," said Zack Reneau-Wedeen to us. They've told us they plan to update their developer's guide. (You should probably categorise it as a bot).
July 8, 2019:
    Users of the brand new Google Pixel 3a? No, the Google Podcasts app is not pre-installed on the phone. The player is, as it is with all Android phones.
July 4, 2019:
    The Yoast SEO plugin was a bad idea for podcasters until now, because it deliberately blocked search engines from seeing your RSS feeds (and so you'd never get into Google Podcasts). After many reports, this has now been fixed in v11.7
July 1, 2019:
June 20, 2019:
June 17, 2019:
    Enterprise podcast host ART19 has made a number of updates to their service, including a setting that allows publishers to block their podcast from appearing in Google Podcasts. (We spoke with a few publishers at Podcast Day - and it sounds like some want to remove podcast play buttons from appearing within Google search, while still allowing them in Google Podcasts itself. This option, however, would entirely remove podcasts from all Google products).
June 13, 2019:
    PowerPress 7.4.3, a Wordpress plugin for podcasters, has been released. It includes special code to enhance discoverability of podcasts by Google Podcasts.
May 30, 2019:
    Podcast host Spreaker has launched a new tool - one-click distribution, making it easier to get a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts and Castbox.
May 23, 2019:
    We built this for ourselves - but if you want to link direct to a podcast episode, our episode link pages now use "magic links" that open directly in Apple Podcasts (on iPhone), Google Podcasts (on Android), or a web player. Here's an episode about a haunted school in Brisbane from the Brisbane is Weird podcast, as one example. Search for your podcast in Podnews, and choose "Link direct to an episode" from the tools at the bottom to find a list of episodes.
May 22, 2019:
    Omny Studio has rolled out full support for WebSub, so podcasters using the platform will see new episodes appearing instantly in podcast apps that support it, like Google Podcasts or Swoot. Podcast host Megafono also supports the WebSub standard.
May 16, 2019:
    If you use Yoast, the Powerpress plugin released three weeks ago has a fix for Yoast's behaviour to tell Google not to index your RSS feed, thus messing with (if not always entirely stopping) Google Podcasts from finding you.
May 15, 2019:
May 9, 2019:
    These plays may not be credited in your podcast host's statistics as being from Google Podcasts, since they're browser based, so simply looking at the user-agent won't help. In our tests, the referrer from these plays is set as https://podcasts.google.com/. Worthwhile clarifying with your podcast host that they'll attribute these to Google Podcasts.
April 29, 2019:
    Radiodays Europe's Podcast Day has announced their first set of speakers, including founder of Google Podcasts Zack Reneau-Wedeen, and Andrew Davies from ABC Audio Studios Australia. The event is in London UK on 13 June. Podnews is a media partner - and we’ll be there too.
April 26, 2019:
    Our version of Google Podcasts is now popping up "AI-driven" bubbles letting you search for more information mentioned in a podcast. It's also enabled a sleep timer (we told you that was coming). We use the beta version of the "Google" app, where the Google Podcasts code actually lives - you can opt in to the beta within Google Play.
April 24, 2019:
    Libsyn's The Feed usually contains some nice stats. In the latest show, for March, 62% of Libsyn's podcasts were downloaded from Apple Podcasts; 9.6% from Spotify, and 2.8% from Overcast (with Google Podcasts at #8, with 1.2%). (Fewer than 40% of Libsyn shows are available on Spotify).
April 16, 2019:
    Google Podcasts appears to have many BBC podcasts back again: this time, via republished RSS feeds on Feedburner. Meantime, explore topics you have listened to is a new section of the app, leading you to Google searches about podcast topics you've listened to, and an auto-generated popular with listeners of Podnews panel appears to suggest... well, we're not sure what to think.
April 11, 2019:
    Google Podcasts are also working on a web interface, but have yet to properly launch the product, and these pages don't appear in ordinary search results. Both Apple and Google products lack a front page, or a method of subscribing.
April 10, 2019:
    The BBC's podcasts reappeared in Google Podcasts late last week, as we reported. We expressed doubt that it was deliberate; they've mostly disappeared, again, from the app. The BBC's press office haven't responded to our request for comment.
April 4, 2019:
    Some BBC podcasts are back in Google Podcasts following a spat last week: a search for BBC Womans Hour, for example, finds the podcast within the app. However, a closer look reveals that the RSS feed, and others like it, is being re-published by the BBC's advertising partner Acast, and the BBC's block is still in place. It's not clear whether this is a deliberate move.
April 3, 2019:
    Google Podcasts is to get a sleep timer, says 9to5google, who have examined the code in the new beta version of the Google app.
April 2, 2019:
    Google Podcasts is building a way for content owners to claim their podcasts in the Google Podcasts catalogue, and Google are working on an analytics dashboard for all partners, said Steve Henn, Content Lead for News on Assistant, Google, at Radiodays Europe. "We approach our Google Podcast service just like (spidering) the web," he said, pointing out that all publishers are already getting consumption data from their servers. On BBC vs Google, he said that Google's approach has been to make it as easy as possible to search for a podcast and play it. However, he said the BBC has said they would prefer search to be directed towards BBC Sounds. He said that Google has more work to do in order to facilitate their needs and they want to understand from the BBC what they want. "If people want to listen to a BBC podcast, we want to get them there as fast as we can." He added that Google and the BBC are talking.
April 1, 2019:
    Is everyone happy that Google Podcasts is now transcribing podcasts? Some have doubts.
March 28, 2019:
    Google Podcasts is now transcribing some podcasts, says Android Authority, who've worked out how to see the transcripts in some Google Podcasts pages (details below in our "developer's corner").
March 27, 2019:
    Kyle contacts us to point out something with the new Google Podcasts web interface that we'd overlooked: you can link direct to episodes (that link should take you to March 1st's edition of The Daily). Need direct episode links? We've got you covered - search for a podcast in Podnews and find the tiny "episode links" link at the bottom of the page.
March 26, 2019:
March 25, 2019:
March 22, 2019:
March 21, 2019:
    Google is prepping a web version of Google Podcasts that works on desktop and on iOS devices: and the player is already live. Here's our podcast in Google Podcasts - on (any) Android phone, it opens the pre-installed Google Podcasts player as normal, while on iPhone or desktop, it now opens a web player. 9to5Google reports that it also syncs playback position to your Google account (and you can ask your Google smart speaker to "resume my podcast"). Still work in progress, it lacks any search, a method of subscribing, downloads, or a front page as yet.
March 19, 2019:
March 18, 2019:
    Our podcast pages now include direct links to Stitcher. We've also updated our podcast availability snapshot to include Stitcher links. As at publication time, Google Podcasts lists virtually everybody; Spotify has about 75% of the most recently published podcasts; and just under half are in Stitcher.
March 12, 2019:
    Promised by end Friday last week, the Google Podcasts app is still rolling out its "episode search", and it is not yet visible to all users. It's supposed to search through episode transcripts; but as far as we can see - we have it - it just appears to be a text search through episode show notes. If you have a search result that is demonstrably using transcripts, we'd love to know: updates@podnews.net
March 11, 2019:
    Spotify, the #2 podcast platform, will be pre-installed in new Samsung phones, it's been announced. (The Google Podcasts app is not even pre-installed on Google's own Pixel phones, though the player is).
March 7, 2019:
March 6, 2019:
    At the RAIN Podcast Business Summit, Google's Zack Reneau-Wedeen announces that Google Podcasts will have search results for episodes by the end of the week. Episode results are supported in all languages, and for many languages works by analysing automatically generated transcripts. This feature was first spotted within the app's code in July last year.
February 28, 2019:
    Google speakers have voice integration with Google Podcasts, of course; "Hey, Google, resume my podcast" will continue listening to whatever it is that you were listening to on the app on your phone. Google Podcasts disappeared last week from Android Auto; then it reappeared; now it's disappeared again. The good folk of Reddit aren't happy.
February 26, 2019:
    Through an undocumented API call, we've now worked out how to link to individual episodes in Apple Podcasts (joining Google Podcasts, which is a base64_url encode of the GUID). If you scroll down to the bottom of any podcast page on Podnews, you'll find a link to "episode links", and one of those looks like this. Our quest continues: how does a Spotify episode link work?
February 21, 2019:
    Google Podcasts has mysteriously disappeared from Android Auto, report a number of annoyed Redditors (and your editor).
February 20, 2019:
    Since Spotify, Google Podcasts and others default to streaming (rather than downloading), does that matter? It sure does if mobile data costs a lot. Today, we went to look for the price of mobile data across the world - and found some astonishing differences between countries. A deal in India for $5.50 a month is twice as good as a deal costing $147 per month in Canada. (Coincidentally - podcasting appears to be growing fastest in India).
February 18, 2019:
    Want to find out if you're in Google Podcasts, or to get some decent buttons or social media links for your podcast? Perhaps you're in the Apple Charts in Turkmenistan and you don't know about it. Just search for your podcast, and find more details there.
February 11, 2019:
    The Bootcamp for the Google Podcasts creator program has kicked off. The participants are, for twenty weeks, working on answering a fundamental question: "What unique need can we identify, and how can we use our podcast to meet that need in a meaningful way?"
February 5, 2019:
    Apple's quarterly financial figures now include total active users on iPhone: there are 900m globally (and therefore 900m installations of Apple Podcasts). Analyst Benedict Evans estimates 2.5bn Google Android phones (which all have the Google Podcasts player installed, if not the full app), and a further 600m in China.
January 31, 2019:
    Event: the RAIN Podcast Business Summit is in New York NY, USA on Tuesday March 5th. Among the speakers: Zack Reneau-Wedeen, Founder and Head of Product, Google Podcasts; and James Cridland, Podnews's Editor.
January 30, 2019:
January 29, 2019:
    Beginner's Guides to Getting Into Podcasts are two-a-penny online, and we don't normally link to them. Unless they're from the New York Times. It contains recommendations from many different writers. (They recommend Google Play Music as an Android app, though, which is disappointing - and shows how far Google Podcasts has to go to market itself.)
January 18, 2019:
    Last week, we noted that Google Podcasts is beginning to appear in Android Auto, the car navigation and entertainment system from Google. As this update rolls out, it seems that Google Podcasts is visible to every Android Auto user (irrespective of whether they've installed the "app"). Google Play says that Android Auto has over 10,000,000 installations, ten times that of the Google Podcasts app.
January 14, 2019:
    Closed-captioning is coming to Google Podcasts: a forthcoming version of the app will include the option to produce an automatic live transcript on-screen, enabled with a "CC" button - good for noisy places or for those with hearing difficulties. Website 9to5google have enabled the feature on the beta version of the Google app, and report that it works well. Also, the new app will highlight major items in the show notes and offer search terms to learn more. New features prepped in beta versions can take months to arrive, though.
January 11, 2019:
    There's widespread anger at an announcement that a popular BBC podcast, Fortunately, is going to be made exclusive to BBC Sounds, the broadcaster's new audio app. It means that the podcast, which isn't aired on radio, will no longer be available on other services like Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. There's concern that because the BBC Sounds app is unavailable outside the UK, overseas listeners may be unable to listen.
January 7, 2019:
December 28, 2018:
    "Most would classify [Google Podcasts] as a big disappointment", says the report, placing the app at #5, and noting that Android is responsible for only 23.7% of all podcast listens (and smart speakers just 1.3%). Spotify, the company's data shows, is a strong second - responsible for 25% of the downloads of Apple Podcasts.
December 10, 2018:
December 7, 2018:
    After Steven Goldstein's post yesterday about the apparent failure of Google Podcasts to make any headway, Seth Resler points out that they're the only podcast app without a Twitter handle, which speaks volumes.
December 6, 2018:
December 4, 2018:
December 3, 2018:
    The Google Podcasts app is preparing an 'episode search' feature, allowing you to search within episodes (presumably, search the show notes for guests and topics discussed). The feature was first seen in the source code in July.
November 20, 2018:
    We reported on Nov 15 that Cold, a true crime podcast from US radio station KSL, had hit the top of the Apple Podcast charts. Steven Goldstein spots this too. Of note - in spite of being #1 on Apple, the podcast wasn't in Google Podcasts when we originally reported it. We note it's there now.
November 7, 2018:
    Google Podcasts has added a "share" option, available in the menu. This allows listeners to share both podcasts and also individual episodes - so here's a link to our podcast yesterday. The additional episode field is a base64-encoded version of the episode GUID (which is, in our case, also the episode's URL).
November 1, 2018:
    We've updated our Google Podcasts FAQ, with a new video showing the app and player working, better explanations, and even some PHP code.
October 30, 2018:
    Waze has launched a new 'audio player', a way of listening to audio while using the app to avoid traffic on your commute. In addition to Spotify, the partner list includes Pandora, Deezer, TuneIn, and podcast platform Stitcher. Google Maps added Spotify a few weeks ago (but not Google Podcasts, because...).
October 26, 2018:
    Google Podcasts broke for some users. This happened to your Editor, too, who is opted-in to the beta version of the Google app. To fix it, I de-registered from the beta version of the app, and reinstalled it. (Beta versions include bugs: that's kind of the point).
October 12, 2018:
    Google wants to make Google Podcasts easier. The company is working on "simplifying the process" for being listed in Google Podcasts, says Zack Reneau-Wedeen. Meanwhile, Google Podcasts has quietly added a "trim silences" feature: you'll find it under the playback speed settings.
October 10, 2018:
    Tip: We've observed that Google Podcasts doesn't like it if you put a different RSS feed in your website to the one you give to iTunes: even the https bit at the front might need to be identical. We've updated our guide on How To Get Into Google Podcasts accordingly. A number of podcast hosts are linking to http versions of RSS feeds on websites while giving Apple iTunes https versions; and these are not being correctly indexed within Google Podcasts; we've found many examples of Google using the iTunes listing instead of the website as a result.
October 5, 2018:
    Google is working with PRX to lead its Google Podcasts creator program. The program "hopes to remove barriers to podcasting, increase the diversity of voices in the industry, and to make sure content is available for all audiences." You can apply for the first round until November 18.
October 1, 2018:
September 25, 2018:
    Podkite have added Spotify and Stitcher chart rankings to their service. They also monitor Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
September 19, 2018:
September 11, 2018:

Our podcast pages now include prominent Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts buttons. (Here's an example). We're also parsing descriptions for Patreon links, to help you support the podcasts you like.

September 5, 2018:
September 5, 2018:
August 17, 2018:
August 16, 2018:
    Google Podcasts also has a donate button for some non-profits including NPR and Radiotopia; but it's currently a hard-coded pilot.
August 15, 2018:
    Podkite launched today. "It's an analytics and intelligence platform for individual podcasters, larger publishers and advertisers", they tell us, and they measure both Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
August 10, 2018:
    Android 9, codenamed Android Pie, was released earlier this week on Google Pixel phones (and will be forthcoming for others). The Google Podcasts icon is not installed by default in this new version. (The app itself is; but you'd need to follow a podcast link to find it). In other, better, news, podcast links from Facebook (in the Facebook browser) now appear to correctly open.
August 6, 2018:
August 3, 2018:
    On Aug 1, we reported that Spotify was under pressure for hosting The Alex Jones Show Podcast. AP reports that the company has now 'removed specific episodes', citing hate content. Most episodes remain. Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, among others, still appear to link to all available episodes. The podcast is hosted with Spreaker.
August 1, 2018:
July 30, 2018:
July 25, 2018:
July 18, 2018:
    Google Play Music appears to have had some issues with importing recent episodes: according to some podcasters it's been stuck for five days. (It's entirely different to Google Podcasts: here's an FAQ all about that).
July 16, 2018:
    The Apple Podcasts badge is nearly, but not quite, the same as the Google Podcasts badge; and chances are you want to display them next to each other. Nathan Gathright has kindly edited both SVGs to "match the other" in terms of alignment and border width/colour; you can download the edited versions from his Dropbox. We've updated the SVGs on our website accordingly, including our link badge generator.
July 9, 2018:
    In the New Media Show over the weekend, Google Podcast product manager Zack Reneau-Weden was interviewed. He gave strong hints that Google Podcasts would be available on more platforms in future; discussed support for deep links into audio, like chapter marks, from show notes; and claimed that there were over two million podcasts indexed in Google Podcasts. (Apple claim about 600,000; he may have been including duplicate RSS feeds like those from Castbox, which are still partially visible in Google's search index). He also made great play of Google's personalised recommendations, rather than using editorial teams, which he claims doesn't scale: particularly for the diverse groups of people who listen to podcasts. He also trailed new announcements at Podcast Movement.
July 6, 2018:
July 5, 2018:
June 28, 2018:
    Joe Clark discovers what he calls censorship of a sort - Apple Podcasts is, according to him, censoring podcasts from far-right groups; and thus, all podcast apps that use Apple's directory are doing similar. (The majority of the censored podcasts are, however, listed in Google Podcasts, we'd note, which has no editorial gatekeeper).
June 27, 2018:
    "Podcast links are a mess", says a new service called Play Podcast - they promise simple one-click podcast links for social media and similar. They gave us playpodca·st/podnews which automatically opens Apple Podcasts and/or Google Podcasts on phones, and helpful links on desktop.
June 26, 2018:
    Blubrry's PowerPress Podcast covers the Google Podcast app this week. In the podcast, Blubrry announce that Subscribe on Android will support Google Podcasts.
June 25, 2018:
June 22, 2018:
    While your podcast is probably in Google Podcasts, getting correctly listed, including in Google Search, is a bit difficult. We continue to finesse our how to get listed guide, and have now added a Google Podcast link validator to our podcast pages. To get started, search for your podcast and press the 'more info' button for the technical details. It also checks if you have a secure RSS feed for Apple Podcasts.
June 21, 2018:
    The launch of Google Podcasts continues to be reported across the globe. Here's our FAQ. The team behind Google Podcasts will also be at Podcast Movement, the organisers have said. If you have already added the badges to your site, you might like to know that they've been updated slightly, especially the SVG version.
June 20, 2018:
June 11, 2018:
    Google is preparing to launch "a Google Podcasts app" for Android within the Google Play store. It'll act as an installable link to the (quite decent, if basic) podcast app already in Android phones, originally launched in April 2016. Incidentally, we spotted over the weekend that it's sporting a nice new 'Google Podcasts' wordmark at the top of the homescreen.
April 23, 2018:
    For noting: the "new" Google Podcasts experience has a useragent of something like Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 8.1.0; Pixel XL Build/OPM2.171019.029; wv) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Chrome/65.0.3325.109 Mobile Safari/537.36 GSA/8.0.17.21.arm64 - "GSA/" would appear to be the user-agent to search for ('Google Search App'?) - the version number appears to match the version of the Google app that's installed on my phone. Ask your podcast host to add this now to their analytics.

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