Google Podcasts Shutting Down After 8 Years of Lackluster Development
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Google Podcasts, Google's third attempt at a podcast app, is shutting down on April 2 after an awkward 8-year existence.
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The app grew out of the Google Search team's desire to index podcast content, not necessarily build a fully-featured podcast player.
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Development was slow - it took 2 years to allow subscriptions and 4 years to launch on iOS.
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Google Podcasts competed with Google's own Play Music podcasts, showing Google's internal disorganization.
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The writing was on the wall when rumors began of a new "YouTube Podcasts" service to consolidate Google's media properties.