How to Review a Podcast on Google Play

I've never really had a go-to dedicated podcast managing director, though I've tried several. Every bit a fan of Google Play Music (rest in peace), I tried out Google Podcasts when information technology launched. But its reliance on a limited pool of popular ongoing podcasts turned me off, as there are a few sponsored programs that I listen to that weren't in the database.

Simply I gave Google a 2d chance a couple of months agone after it added the ability to put in a standard RSS feed. (You think RSS, that thing that powered the entire medium of podcasts 20 years agone?) Subsequently getting all of my audio shows in, I found to my surprise that, really, Google Podcasts is pretty good! It but took information technology a twelvemonth and half to get there.

Thanks to a solid visual interface and great syncing between the spider web (Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS) and mobile, Google Podcasts is now the only way I'thousand listening to my shows. Let'southward break downwards the proficient bits, and what however needs to be improved.

Good: An Like shooting fish in a barrel Interface

The interface of Google Podcasts is shockingly good, far and away the best I've used so far. The dwelling screen shows yous a carousel of your loaded shows, with the latest episodes in a feed right beneath. The "Explore" tab is all about finding new shows, which I honestly don't apply that much—on the rare occasion that I add together a podcast to my routine, I get it via discussion of oral cavity.

The "Action" page is where the real meat of the mobile experience is. You go a queue of shows if you've manually selected them, a downloads tab to show which sound files are saved, and a "History" tab to show yous which episodes you've listened to. This is dandy if y'all're showtime through a long serial and aren't quite clear where you are—it saves you a long curlicue in the primary episode interface.

Across both the desktop and the mobile apps, the arrangement has a swell manner of showing which episodes you've already played. The "play" push also shows at a glance how much is left in the episode, both in absolute minutes and in a radial quarter view. Again, this is fantabulous for parsing through a long list. On summit of that, y'all get the handy option to go forward 30 seconds, go back ten10, and/or conform the playback speed in different increments.

Bad: Awful Smart Screen Experience

As prissy equally the experience for Google Podcasts is on mobile or desktop, it's very foreign that information technology'south so spare on smart screens. You'd think Google, which has been firing on all cylinders for its Banana smarthome tech for years, would pay more attention to the way users collaborate with gadgets like the Nest Home.

This playback interface couldn't be more bones. Michael Crider

Voice commands are extremely express: Yyou tin can simply bring upward the latest episode of a serial, and just if Google can parse the title. For example, "Listen to This Week in Google" got me the latest episode, only "Mind to Not Some other D and D Podcast" and "Listen to NADPod" got me a not-upshot and a random YouTube video. Even when y'all've loaded upwardly a podcast, you lot don't become those 10 and 30 2nd buttons, so actually controlling it is a headache.

You tin bring upward a Google Podcasts card on the Nest Home, simply it simply has a random option of episodes connected to your account. Ideally, I should be able to say "keep playing my podcasts," and have it choice upwardly wherever I left off on my telephone or desktop. As it is, manually casting the audio to the speaker is the best (and far from optimal) option.

Good: Smart Mobile Features

The Android app for Google Podcasts is surprisingly slap-up. In improver to the interface features I previously mentioned, information technology supports more or less unlimited sound downloads, chop-chop casting to different speakers, and swapping betwixt the phone speakers and various Bluetooth connections. And that's just from the notification!

Seriously, that notification is great, featuring a total scrobble bar and the 10/30 second skip options. It'southward besides properly integrated into the top section of the notification tray on Android 11. (That's something yous should expect from a start-party app, simply Google has a history of selectively updating a lot of stuff.)

Other highlights of the mobile app include options for auto-downloads and automated storage management, support for dark mode, and even a slumber timer. iOS gets access to the same app, sadly lacking proper iPad interface support. I haven't been able to test out the Android tablet interface (the app isn't available on Chrome Os devices, where Google wants y'all to use the web version).

Bad: No Desktop Downloads

Because the desktop version of basically every Google app is just the browser version, you're limited to using Google Podcasts on the spider web when you're on a laptop or desktop. That's commonly fine … but what if your connection is out? Sadly, y'all're just kind of screwed.

Unlike more "vital" tools like Google Docs, there's no offline admission for Google Podcasts. That also ways there'south no way to download audio shows to a local directory. Which is a shame. If you lot want the Google Podcast feel on the go and you can't rely on your connection, y'all'd better download a few episodes to your phone's storage … which might exist a little limited. That, or just manually download the episodes from the prove's general website.

Practiced: Great Performance

One of the issues I've had with other podcast managers is poor functioning. That's well-nigh understandable considering their whole bargain is downloading and/or streaming big audio files. But when we're talking nigh companies as big as Spotify, trying to corner an entire market of content, it's not acceptable.

I can download hours of sound in just a few seconds.

Google's tool has surprised me with just how shine information technology is. Scrolling through those large audio files to skip the pre-recorded ads (lamentable, but I've heard nearly Manscaped literally hundreds of times already!), I could quickly dial in to the return of the testify using the 30- and 10-second buttons.

And starting a new episode, streaming and caching a big audio file, takes only a 2d or two. It's a great modify over what I've seen in other all-in-ane podcast applications.

Bad: No Video Back up

Here's the big hole in Google Podcasts' current characteristic set up: no video. I get the feeling that Google would much rather you become to YouTube for podcasts that are released in video class, and thus the mobile app and web interface don't include video capabilities. Information technology surely doesn't aid that one of YouTube's premium features is offline video downloads.

You're lying to me, Google Podcasts.

Yous tin't apply Google Podcasts for video, whether y'all use the organization's expanding database of shows or add your ain RSS feeds: the interface simply refuses to add a video feed if you try. Even as someone who doesn't commonly picket video shows, I know that if Google wants to make this platform competitive, information technology's missing a large piece.

And that makes me hesitant to get all in on my recommendation hither. Google has an earned and growing reputation for a fearfulness of commitment. But look at the fashion it dumped Google Play Music, even later it invested in it with streaming radio and podcast features. I get the impression that if Google tin can't chop-chop monetize podcasts or the data information technology gathers from podcast listeners, the app volition wither and die sometime in the next 5 years.

A Smashing Option for Specific Users

That said, Google'due south work on the Podcast service over the last year and a one-half is undeniable. For the manner that I listen to shows, it's currently the easiest and almost seamless option. Information technology's as close as I've come up to the condolement I had using Google Reader (another one lost to the Google Graveyard) to manage podcasts back in the day.

I'm sure loyal users of other services like Pocket Casts will exist hard to win over, and even so others will be wary of switching to still another Google audio service. Simply if you're looking for something new and easy, and particularly if you mostly listen on your phone or PC, give Google Podcasts a try. Yous'll be glad that you did.

Google Podcasts is available for complimentary on the web, Android, and iOS.

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Source: https://www.reviewgeek.com/70280/google-podcasts-is-pretty-good-now-yall/

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