TL;DR
- Google search is now not displaying play buttons on podcasts linking to Google Podcasts.
- The potential to hearken to podcasts straight from Search results is now gone.
- The Google Podcasts app hasn’t been up to date in months.
Google is thought for killing off lots of its merchandise. In truth, it’s shutting one down at the moment — Stadia. And it seems like Google Podcasts may very well be headed in the identical path quickly.
Google launched the Google Podcasts app again in 2018. The neat factor in regards to the app is it allowed listeners to search for and hearken to particular person podcast episodes straight from Search. It additionally allow you to proceed the identical episode on numerous gadgets from the app or Search.
Regardless of how usually it was used, Google appeared to cease updating the app in 2021 shortly after YouTube started specializing in bolstering its podcast expertise, as reported by Bloomberg.
According to a brand new report from Podnews, now it seems the corporate has eliminated Google Podcasts from its Search results.
The play buttons that linked to the Google Podcast app in Search have disappeared, so listeners can now not hearken to podcasts straight from their results. So should you search for a podcast in Search now, you’ll solely discover hyperlinks to critiques and different platforms.
A spokesperson for Google responded to the outlet stating that it’s working “as intended.” This means the removing of the play buttons was an intentional transfer by the corporate. Google didn’t clarify the choice, however provided this assertion:
YouTube and Google Podcasts serve completely different wants. Both serve podcast listeners at the moment and we aren’t altering this proper now. We don’t have anything extra to share at the moment.
At the second, it seems Google Podcasts continues to be secure, however this isn’t signal for the platform’s destiny.