Google is receiving pushback from users regarding its decision to kill of Google Podcast, with users unhappy with YouTube Music as a replacement.

Google killed off Podcasts, as of April 2024. The company has given users through July 2024 to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music. Unfortunately for users, however, YouTube Music is not as full-featured or capable as the service it replaces.

Emma, with the YouTube Music team, took to Reddit to promise a number of coming improvements:

Hi! I’m Emma and I work at YouTube Music, with a focus on podcasts. I know a lot of the conversations here are music focused, but I’ve seen a lot of discussion about podcasts on YouTube Music, too. I want to make sure you know that we see your feedback and we’re doing a lot on the podcasts front –

• you can now sort a podcast’s episodes from newest to oldest, oldest to newest, most popular, or default (the order set by the creator)
• if you’re a listener outside of the United States with podcasts in your Library, you’ll see podcasts on your Home screen, including a new “Recommended shows” shelf (this is already available to US users)
• improved search results now make it easier to find YouTube podcasts you love

This is only the beginning, and the Podcasts team is working on a lot more improvements! Let me know if you’d like more podcast updates here.

Despite the assurances, users were quick to point out their disappointment with the state of things. A user called lukeanstee wrote the following:

Hate to say it; but killing Google podcasts to integrate into YouTube Music, a service that has been fundamentally broken since it replaced Google Music (which was near perfect). Is one of the most misguided decisions I’m am aware of from Google.

I appreciate trying to do what Spotify does, but let’s get the fundamentals right first, surely!!

User cautionbug said this was par for the course for Google:

Don’t hate to say it. Shout it from the rooftops. Google keeps announcing stuff it’s killing off and IF there’s a replacement planned, the replacement is never ready with the same features or polish of the original. It’s tiresome.

As we pointed out in our coverage of Podcasts’ death, Google has a long history of killing off its products, leaving users in a lurch. The company has severe commitment issues, flitting from one idea to another, with little to no long-term commitment.

Until Google shows it is willing to stick with products and not abandon its users, people would do well to avoid its services.