Subj : Google Podcasts is now officially gone here are my favorite iPho To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Thu Apr 04 2024 21:15:05 Google Podcasts is now officially gone here are my favorite iPhone and Android alternatives Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 20:02:26 +0000 Description: Google is pushing former users to YouTube Music, however there are way better options out there like AntennaPod. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Google Podcasts is gone. The streaming platform recently went offline on April 2, bringing the six-year saga to a close. Now it joins the likes of YouTube Stories and the Stadia console over in the Google Graveyard . If you open the app or go to the official website , you get a message stating the service is no longer available. Google asks you to transfer your subscriptions to either YouTube Music or export them to a third-party service. We recently published a guide teaching you how to migrate subscriptions over. Moving things to YouTube Music is pretty straightforward as it all can be done on the Google Podcasts app. Migrating to a third-party is a little trickier as it requires creating an OPML file then uploading that file to a supporting service. Be aware you have until July 31 to move your data. After that, you're out of luck. The push for YouTube Music YouTube Music will take the place of Google Podcasts as the company coalesces its audio content onto the app. As a service, its not the worst replacement, but its nowhere near the best. The main problem with podcasts on YouTube Music is it plays second fiddle to, well, music. Its not the main appeal. Yes, the platform has made multiple updates to improve podcast support, however theres a lot of work to be done. The search bar still prioritizes musical artists and playlists, even if the Podcast filter is on. Some people find the user interface to be really messy since itll be clogged with song recommendations, making it difficult to find shows. The list goes on. So, for those of you who are looking for a new podcast home besides YouTube Music, below is a list consisting of the best alternatives. 1. AntennaPod Best alternative on Android (Image credit: Future) AntennaPod is a volunteer-built platform that is totally free. It has no ads whatsoever (unless the publisher of a podcast puts them in there), and you can subscribe to whatever show you want via RSS feed. New episodes will appear on the home screen with the option to download them for offline listening. You can set up a queue for back-to-back episodes with a history tab for future reruns. Whats more, its all easy to use. The UI is streamlined to minimize headaches. The developers posted a series of instructions last November teaching people how to migrate over to AntennaPod from Google Podcasts. Like we mentioned, it involves creating an OPML file. The main problem with this app is it's only available on Android. iPhone owners will have to look elsewhere. 2. PocketCasts Best feature rich alternative (Image credit: Future) Compared to AntennaPod, PocketCast has way more features. It offers a wide array of resources to discover new shows. Categories include content thats popular in the US, podcasts originating from Ireland, books, Womens History Month, music, and so on. The player has an interesting set of tools as well. You can increase the playback speed to be twice as fast and trim the silent parts in episodes. You can even set up sleep timers. Everything we just mentioned is available completely for free. You can add more by purchasing a subscription . Pocket Casts Plus, for example, offers access to both a desktop and smartwatch app among other things. The app is available on Android and iOS. 3. Overcast Best features for iOS (Image credit: TechRadar) Rounding the trio is the iOS-exclusive Overcast . Its an incredibly popular app on iPhone, currently sitting with a near-perfect 4.7 out of 5 rating on the Apple App Store. Much of its praise is levied at its intuitive design, and reviews mention its many useful features. Its similar to the previous entries as Overcast shares some of the same capabilities, like downloading episodes for offline listening, although it boasts some unique tricks up its sleeve. Voice Boost cleans up audio mixing so all podcasts play at the same volume. Smart Speed cuts out those awkward silences. Overcast does have ads, but you can get rid of them with the Premium subscription. We also want to give an honorable mention to Spotify . Its done a lot of work in fostering that side of its business, becoming a major player in the podcasting world. However, its difficult to recommend it as a replacement to Google Podcasts for the same reason we cant really suggest YouTube Music. Spotify is a space for a variety of content, not just one. If you want something solely for enjoying podcasts, go with the three above. Be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best earbuds for 2024 while you're at it too. You might also like Spotify may be raising prices, here are my 3 favorite alternatives Tidal's game-changing feature lets your friends open shared songs in Spotify Spotify will now automatically transcribe your favorite podcasts as you listen ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/audio-streaming/google-podcasts-is-now-officia lly-gone-here-are-my-favorite-iphone-and-android-alternatives --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .