Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- YouTube Music vows to be the “ultimate destination” for podcasts.
- The platform feels that its podcast recommendations are its “secret sauce.”
- However, users who migrated from Google Podcasts are not satisfied with the new experience.
YouTube Music wants to be the “ultimate destination for podcasters and fans,” the company announced in a recent blog post discussing the future of podcasts on YouTube.
The platform also highlighted recent changes made to improve podcast listening on YouTube Music. This includes support for third-party RSS podcasts, updates to the Android Auto experience for easier in-car listening, enhanced download options, and customizable playlist sorting. The last one on this list is the newest and has not yet been widely deployed. We're adding more podcast sorting filters like “Progress,” “Unplayed,” and “Played.”
Additionally, YouTube says it has revamped its recommendation and discovery algorithms “to make it easier for creators and listeners to discover new content.” YouTube Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich feels YouTube's “secret sauce” is podcast recommendations.
All of this sounds great, but it doesn't seem like YouTube is really listening to its podcast users. Users aren't happy with the podcast experience on YouTube Music.
The reality of podcasts on YouTube Music
Google's decision to move podcasts to YouTube Music has not been well received by traditional Google Podcasts users. In April, Google officially shut down its Podcasts app in the US and migrated users to YouTube Music. People outside the US can still use the old app, but not for long.
Those who have moved their podcasting needs to YouTube Music have struggled to master the service. The podcasting experience on YouTube Music lacks basic features like “mark as played” and new episode notifications. Users also struggle to find content on the platform, switch between listening to podcasts and music, and create queues and playlists. The list of complaints is very long.
Do you like listening to podcasts on YouTube Music?
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“It's really annoying when you go back to a podcast you've already listened to and the message that was played disappears,” a Reddit user pointed out a few days ago.
“With Google Podcasts, I was able to select a few podcasts and just play them straight away. I don't know how to do that with YouTube Music. Many podcasts don't transfer to YouTube Music and the search option Overall, the user experience is terrible,” wrote another disgruntled user.
“If you pause in the middle of an episode and close the app, reopening it will return you to the beginning of the episode. Downloaded episodes are not automatically deleted after playing, and may persist even if you manually delete the download.” another user complained.
For Google to make YouTube Music the “ultimate destination” for podcasts, it first needs to improve the platform's basic usability before adding more complex new features.
