Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
I like listening to podcasts when I’m doing household chores. So I recently opened YouTube Music with the intention of continuing a podcast I’d been enjoying the evening before, but instead of resuming where I left off, I found myself squinting at the screen, scrolling through a wall of music suggestions, videos, and algorithmic clutter. The podcast was nowhere in sight. YouTube Music had let me down, again.
My dream is to have as few apps as possible, and that’s why I genuinely enjoy Spotify’s take on merging podcasts with music. But a good podcast app should let me resume where I left off without making me hunt for the podcast. Spotify manages to do this, mostly. YouTube Music should be able to, after all, it’s backed by Google’s formidable infrastructure and teams of some of the brightest minds in the industry. It already handles music playlists like a dream. But podcasts? They’re still a mess.
Do you use YouTube Music for podcasts? 20 votes I don't use YTM for anything. 20 % No, but I use it for music streaming. 40 % Sometimes, but I prefer not to. 5 % Sometimes. It's not bad. 15 % Every time I listen to podcasts! 20 %
Here’s what I want from a podcast app
Nathan Drescher / Android Authority
A good podcast app should give me clear access to the shows I follow. It should let me easily queue up a few episodes for the commute or walk without having to switch mental gears. Most importantly, the app should feel like it is built for podcasts. I want thoughtful organization and intuitive playback controls. You know, a UI that respects the episodic nature of podcasts.
Pocket Casts is arguably one of the best podcast apps out there. Everything about it is designed for ease of use and I can quickly find what I’m looking for thanks to visual cues and a logical menu. Spotify is decent in how it handles podcasts, although there’s room for improvement. I find the app buries the next episode of the podcast I’m listening to behind algorithm slop, just like YouTube Music.
Most importantly, the app should feel like it is built for podcasts.
I live deep in the Android ecosystem, and it would be really nice if it all synced effortlessly. But the YouTube Music podcast experience falls short.
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