Google rolls out 'migration' tool ahead of its Podcasts' shutdown in April 2024

Ahead of the discontinuation of Google Podcasts in the US as early as April 2024, the tech giant has rolled out a new tool that allows Google Podcast listeners to migrate their subscriptions from there to YouTube Music or export them for use in other podcast apps.

"In the coming weeks, listeners will be able to access the migration tool through a banner at the top of their screen in Google Podcasts," YouTube said in a blogpost on Thursday.

The company also mentioned that the "tool also has the option to export Google Podcasts subscriptions as an OPML file that can be uploaded to any other podcast app that supports uploads."

Moreover, YouTube said that they built this migration tool with both listeners and podcasters in mind. According to the company, most of the popular podcasts are already available on YouTube, and for podcasts that aren't currently available on YouTube, listeners will be able to add shows directly to their YouTube Music library via the podcast's RSS feed.

In the US, Google Podcasts will be available for podcast listening through March 2024, and listeners will be able to migrate or export their subscriptions through July 2024. Meanwhile, YouTube has said it is testing new generative AI features that'll let people create music tracks using just a text prompt or a simple hummed tune.

The company introduced Dream Track, an experiment on YouTube Shorts which is powered by Google DeepMind's most advanced music generation model to date, Lyria.