Google Podcasts app launches on iOS: same, but different

• As we reported yesterday, Google Podcasts is now available on iOS, with a new iPhone app available now. The redesign is now also visible on Android, and includes full automatic downloads and new episode notifications. The announcement also promises “support for subscriptions on Google Podcasts for Web”, and many outlets have reported this as having launched - we don’t see any subscriptions visible as yet, though.

  • Why would you want to use Google Podcasts on Apple? If you’ve Google devices in your home, “OK, Google, Resume My Podcast” will continue where you’ve left off, as one example. It’ll also enable you to keep listening to shows at work on Google Podcasts for Web (when that gets the update). Unlike the Apple app, it includes a silence-remover, and more control over speed-listening.
  • Google Podcasts is not the same as Google Play Music Podcasts, which is still there, 647 days since Google Podcasts’s launch. Just like Google search, you don’t submit your podcast to Google Podcasts: it finds you. That said, there are some things you can do to help get listed faster when you launch a new show. Google Podcasts also supports WebSub, so new episodes appear instantly in the app.

• From a developer’s point of view, the Google Podcasts iOS app looks identical to the Android app, but isn’t. In particular:

  • Disappointingly it doesn’t display full <content-encoded> HTML show-notes: using the <description> field instead, and stripping out any HTML (following the standard).
  • It’s likely that many podcast hosts could incorrectly credit downloads from Google’s new iPhone app to Apple Podcasts. Unlike the "GSA/" user-agent of the Android app, the iOS app has a user-agent of Podcasts: almost identical to the Apple Podcasts app user-agent of Podcasts/(version-number). Our updated user-agents list for podcast apps now lists this new user-agent.
  • The iOS app also gives no option to “view the RSS feed”, which is a useful debugging tool within the Android app. Our FAQ will help you here. (We’ve also found a bug - with an AirDrop logo hovering over the top-left corner of the screen while you use Settings).

• In the official announcement, the image of Google Podcasts appears to show Alexandre Saddi's subscriptions: he’s a Staff Designer at Google. A Brazilian, he’s worked for Google in New York since 2014. However, the images show three 'latest episodes’ - a Jan 28 2020 episode of Stuff You Should Know, a Dec 14 2018 re-run episode of How I Built This, and an Aug 3 2009 episode from Stuff You Missed In History Class. In another screen, a Feb 12 2020 episode of 99% Invisible is described as being released '21 hours ago’, while released 'yesterday’ was a Dec 24 2019 episode of Dolly Parton’s America. In short, these are mockups, not screengrabs, if you were wondering; we suspect Alexandre’s podcast subscriptions are rather different.

• Last weekend, Acast saw a 7% increase in listens globally. The company say that many different categories saw a good increase; although sport and recreation was down by 2%.

• Meanwhile Nielsen claims that consumers forced indoors spend more time on media: publishing case studies into Hurricane Harvey, Snowpocalypse 2016, and coronavirus-related viewing in Korea and Italy.

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• Edison Research are planning an additional webinar, Inside The Infinite Dial, on Apr 3. Expect to hear “the entire content strategy behind the project, what we have learned over the last two decades, and how to translate that success to your content practices.”

• AdLarge Media has signed an ad representation deal with RNS, a local news provider for US radio stations. AdLarge Media also sells podcasts including Crime Junkie, and operates Cabana.

• The Ramsey Network will produce a live stream today at 8pm ET, promising answers to questions on money, career and life during this time of uncertainty. “A Message of Hope” will also be carried on a number of radio stations.

• In Queensland promises binge-worthy podcasts to make self-isolation easier, highlighting that Brisbane is a major centre of Australian podcast production. Recommendations of podcasts are given by many, including our Editor.

• We’ve removed our 'podcast events’ section for the moment. It seemed to remind us of a time without this stupid virus.

Podcast News

The John Dredge Nothing To Do With Anything Show calls itself a “lunatic cross between a surreal sketch show and a bizarre parody of a magazine programme”, and returns for a new series five years after the last one. This week: the problem of aardvarks, items of furniture sing songs from Oliver and Frank Sinatra saws Big Ben in half. (Recommended) (Soundcloud)

Podcasting Essentials is back for season 4. In the first episode, Andrew Davies from ABC Audio Studios talks about podcast descriptions - at 71%, it’s the main reason listeners choose to listen to new podcasts. (BE Media Production / Omny Studio)

SBS Easy French is designed by the Alliance Française de Melbourne and SBS to help you learn a new language while you’re stuck inside. Each episode contains a weekly news bulletin, read by Christophe Mallet at “a manageable pace”. There’s also a newsletter which contains full transcriptions. Écoute le!

Funny People Talking appears to have Donald Trump as a guest, talking about COVID-19. Later today: Dr Phil. Tomorrow, um, Dr Evil. A special series with impressionist John Di Domenico. (MouthMedia / Omny Studio)

Lantigua Williams & Co.’s 70 Million has become part of The Democracy Group, “a network of podcasts united around the goal of helping listeners understand what’s broken in our democracy, and how people are working together to fix it.” (Simplecast)