Google Podcasts reaches 500 million downloads and seems to be here to stay

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In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about plans to incorporate podcasts into established streaming services like Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music. In some territories and platforms, this is already a reality. But still: alternatives exist.

Google Podcasts has been around since 2018 and has gone through relatively few iterations since then. The plan with this Google-made app is simple: quick search and delivery for podcasts of all topics and lengths.

And despite the fact that YouTube Music will be launching its own Podcasts section in the US, Google Podcasts is still doing pretty well. Recently, the app reached half a billion downloads on the Play Store, which is a testament to its core-audience and popularity.

Now, that being said, YouTube Music itself has long since surpassed the billion downloads. However, we must keep in mind that it offers music, which anyone can get into. Podcasts though? Sure, the medium is more popular than ever, but it is still not for everyone.

This is probably part of the reason why Google won’t be scraping the Podcasts app, even after it launches the podcasts section in YouTube Music. The company has outright admitted that the two apps cater to very different core audiences.

As 9to5 Google very aptly points out in its report, Google Podcasts is interesting, because it is an odd case of a standalone version of a component, that can be found on the general Google Search app. But is it at all shocking that people are looking for convenience? After all, less clutter means an easier time getting to the content you are looking for, and that is always a win. 

But what does all of this mean for you? It means that if you are looking to start your journey through the wonderful world of podcasts, the Podcasts app by Google is a great choice, precisely because it is clean and easy to use. And for the time being, it’s here to stay.

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