Google has made a big mistake in merging podcasts into YouTube Music. The app utterly fails to grasp what podcast listeners want. It stubbornly insists on prioritizing video versions of podcasts, even when all you want is audio. Videos eat battery and data, and besides, Google already has a dedicated video app. It’s called YouTube.
YouTube Music severely limits your podcast choices, as well. You can’t add your own favorite shows through RSS feeds and need to stick with Google’s curated selection. You’re stuck in Google’s walled garden. And that’s if you can even find the podcasts tucked away behind a tab in a blatant copy of Spotify. And let’s be honest, Spotify’s podcast experience isn’t much better.
YouTube Music over-prioritizes video podcasts
Audio as an afterthought
YouTube is the place I would think of going to if I ever wanted to watch a podcast (which, personally, is never). But I’m bombarded with video results the moment I search for a podcast on YouTube Music. The video version often takes center stage, even if the podcast is clearly focused on audio. This feels completely backward for us podcast fans. It forces us to keep our phone screens on, which drains our battery and sucks when we’re washing dishes or driving.
You can sometimes find an audio-only version buried in the search results with a discreet “audio” label somewhere in the title, and there’s a toggle on video podcast playback to only play the audio. However, these extra steps highlight the platform’s mismatch with the needs of podcast listeners. YouTube Music was seemingly built with video as a priority, and shoehorning podcasts onto the platform simply doesn’t work.
No custom podcasts allowed here
YouTube Music strips away your listening control
I’m a big history nerd and listen to a lot of independent podcasts. Take the articles from History Guild as an example. Each one comes with an audio transcription and a list of related podcasts. But I could never upload these to YouTube Music because no custom podcast feeds are allowed. It’s Google’s way or the highway.
Unlike dedicated podcast apps such as PocketCasts and Overcast, where you can add your own custom episodes through RSS feeds, Google wants you to rely on them for your listening choices. It’s a “trust me, bro” take from Google that closely follows Spotify’s handling of podcasts, and I don’t like it. These limitations strip away the joy of discovery that is so central to the entire idea of podcasts. It also reveals a platform that doesn’t see podcasts as a medium for its listeners. They’re just an afterthought.
Podcasts aren’t exactly easy to find
YouTube Music tucks podcasts behind a small tab
Podcasts feel like a hidden secret on YouTube Music. They’re relegated to a separate little box, tucked in next to boxes recommending different musical genres. This disconnect makes it clear podcasts are a low priority for the platform, and is further proof that YouTube Music is the wrong place for podcasts.
YouTube Music isn’t alone in this neglect. Spotify hides podcasts away in a separate tab as well, although they try to make that tab more prominent. Both platforms’ interfaces feel clunky and ill-suited to browsing large podcast libraries. Spotify is still primarily a music streaming service, while YouTube Music wants to be a video platform, much like, well, YouTube.
Dedicated podcast apps are still best
They have all the features listeners need
Here’s the thing: you don’t need to settle for the sub-par offerings from Google and Spotify. There are plenty of dedicated podcast apps out there, and they all do a fantastic job of delivering podcasts to listeners. Some of our favorites include Pocket Casts, Overcast, and Podcast Addict, to name a few.
The beauty of dedicated podcast apps lies in their communities. Spend any time on podcast-related subreddits, and you’ll find thriving communities supporting their favorite app. Many of these podcast apps are works of love from a single developer, or a small team at the most. They don’t seek to control what you listen to or shape your tastes, and you’re not at the whims of their ad-driven algorithms. You can listen on your own terms.
YouTube Music is not the right place for podcasts
There are much better options out there
YouTube Music sucks for podcasts. I get that Google is trying to make YouTube its one-stop-shop for all our audiovisual needs, but the way it handles podcasts is not working. Videos are prioritized over audio, there’s limited choice, and podcasts are buried in a small tab amidst all the others. The good news is Google has the resources and the know-how to fix it. I know this because, in my opinion, Google Podcasts was actually a pretty good dedicated podcast app.
And dedicated podcast apps where the medium really shines. They provide freedom, advanced features, and a focus on the listener, all things about which Google, and Spotify, don’t seem to care. If you’re serious about podcasts, it’s time to ditch the pretenders and embrace a platform designed specifically with you in mind. YouTube Music is simply not the right place for podcasts in its current form.
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