For those in the US, Google Podcasts will be shutting down after today, April 2nd. We’ve tested quite a few other podcast apps on Android and picked our favorite replacements for Google Podcasts.
For an application to be on our list, one of the key requirements is support for importing OPML files. While Google Podcasts offers a simplified way to transfer podcast subscriptions to YouTube Music, the app also offers the option to save a standard OPML file to open elsewhere. For years, podcast apps and RSS readers have used OPML files as a standardized way to export/import subscriptions.
Most votes: Pocket Casts
It is used by four members 9to5Google team (Abner, Andrew, Damien and Kyle), our favorite Android app to replace Google Podcasts is Pocket Casts.
Pocket Casts has been serving podcasts to Android and iOS users for over a decade, so the app experience has been thoroughly improved in that time. In many ways, Pocket Casts expands beyond the simplistic feature set of Google Podcasts by offering unique features like listening statistics.
Setup is easy as you can sign in with your Google Account or traditional email/password. After that, to import your shows from Google Podcasts, you can go to the Profile tab, tap the gear icon for settings and select “Import and Export OPML”. If you sign in with an account, your podcast library and listening history will stay synced for free across all devices.
The interface of the Pocket Casts player is simple, although you will need a little customization that comes from Google Podcasts. Some features, such as show notes and the sharing menu, have been given more prominence. Meanwhile, the option to play your podcast via Chromecast is hidden in the menu. Otherwise, you’ll find the same controls for skipping forward/backward a few seconds, adjusting playback speed, starting a sleep timer, and more.
On the home page, you’ll find your list of shows you’re subscribed to, which you can sort by name, date, or latest episode (or manually sort them to your liking). In keeping with one of my favorite features from Google Podcasts, you can find a feed of the latest episodes from your subscriptions in the “New Releases” section of the Filters tab.
The real star of the show is the Discover tab, where Pocket Casts showcases many popular and award-winning podcasts from around the web. The same tab also offers a handy search feature that makes it easy to find new shows or search for specific episodes.
However, many of the referrals on the Discover tab are prominently marked as sponsored promotions. In comparison, Google Podcasts was completely ad-free. Pocket Casts also offers a handful of premium features only available to paying subscribers, but the free tier is more than enough for most people.
Runner-up: AntennaPod
Another favorite Android podcast app is AntennaPod, as it’s the best option we’ve found that manages to have a clean design while remaining completely ad-free (beyond the standard in-episode ads, of course). AntennaPod can remain free, privacy-preserving and ad-free because it is a completely open source project powered by community contributions.
On the app’s home page, you’ll find your current podcast episode queue, the latest releases from your subscriptions, a list of what you’ve already downloaded, and more. Even better, you can turn all these sections on or off according to your needs.
However, what AntennaPod lacks compared to Pocket Casts is a robust way to discover new shows to try. There is an online search option, but unless you already know the name of a particular show, it can be difficult to find gems among the results.
Moving on to the player itself, the controls are laid out in a simple way, putting the standard playback options – speed, rewind, play/pause, skip ahead, next episode – at the bottom, while snooze, broadcast and favorite at the top.
The AntennaPod isn’t without its flaws though, as some options aren’t always where I’d expect them to be. The first thing I’d recommend adjusting (assuming you have a sufficient data plan) is allowing the app to download and stream podcasts over cellular data. You can find this option by opening it settings from the navigation drawer and then go to Downloads > Mobile updates and ticking all the boxes. You can also transfer your subscriptions to Google Podcasts using Import export > OPML import option in settings.
AntennaPod, meanwhile, offers a cross-device sync option, but uses another free and open source service, Gpodder. Since the servers are not free, Gpodder is supported by the community and is not as reliable as the sync features of most other podcast apps. However, for the technically minded, Gpodder allows you to host your own instance, giving you complete control over your data.
Honorable mentions:
YouTube Music
If you’re not at all picky about which Android app you use to listen to your favorite podcasts, YouTube Music is the official replacement for Google Podcasts. The only big advantage here is that your Google Podcasts subscriptions and listening history will be seamlessly copied to YouTube Music and stay in sync across all devices signed into your Google Account.
That said, we’ve talked at length—and on more than one occasion—about why YouTube Music is one of our least favorite Android podcast apps right now. We won’t repeat it all here, but the point is that the interface is shockingly cluttered compared to Google Podcasts.
Spotify
It’s hard not to mention Spotify on this list, as it was one of the first mainstream music apps on Android to introduce podcast features. The company has also invested heavily in original content, even buying major indie podcast publishing platform, Anchor. This library and years of constant design tweaks have made Spotify’s combination of podcasts and music less clunky than it could be (see: YouTube Music). If you already subscribe to Spotify, using its podcast features can be a breeze for you.
Interestingly, despite the shutdown of two major competitors in the podcast space (Stitcher and Google Podcasts) and the resulting mass migrations, Spotify has so far refused to launch an official OPML import feature. Fortunately, it appears that a third-party developer has created a web application, Pod Importer, to import your library for you.
Since Google Podcasts will become just a fond memory (at least in the US), where have you chosen to catch up on your favorite shows? Let us know in the comments below.
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