The other big highlight here is the fact that the podcasts’ progress can be synced with the Google Assistant. Therefore, for instance, you can pick up where you left on an Android phone from a Google Home device. In addition to that, Google Podcasts comes with all the usual features you’d expect from an application designed to curate and play podcasts including subscriptions, downloads, playback speed, and more. The app is built using Google’s Material Design 2 and features a minimal aesthetic with a white background. The home screen essentially lets you browse all your recommendations, downloads, and the ongoing podcasts. Google has also included an option if channels would like to add a “donate” button which can be quite handy. Google says there are nearly two million podcasts available to stream on the app. It’s limited to Android right now but I’m sure an iOS counterpart won’t be far off behind from launching. The application can be grabbed now from the Play Store for free. Just a couple of weeks ago, a podcast player was added to the Google Search which also had support for Google Assistant sync. What sets the app apart is clearly the recommendations engine which learns from what you’ve been listening and suggests new episodes accordingly. Moreover, Google has also announced a new initiative for encouraging creators and “help promote inclusive storytelling in podcasting.” To sign up for it, all you need to do is head over to this link and submit your details.
