You don’t need a subscription to listen to podcasts on YouTube Music in the background, while casting or when offline without an internet connection.
- Google has launched podcasts on YouTube Music for US listeners.
- A subscription is not required for background and offline listening.
- The feature is rolling in stages. Check back later if you don’t have it yet.
YouTube Music launches podcasts for US listeners
If you already have this feature, you can listen to your favorite podcasts using the YouTube Music app for iOS or Android or the web interface at music.youtube.com.
If you live in the United States and have the feature, hit a dedicated Podcasts tab in the navigation bar at the top to access the new section for audio podcasts.
You’ll find your unfinished episodes and recommended podcasts based on your listening history on the Home tab. Hit the Explore tab to find new shows or browse curated content in categories like Business, Comedy, Gaming, Health & Fitness, Music, Society & Culture, and True Crime.
Google plans to bring this feature to other regions in the future.
Do I need a subscription to listen to podcasts?
YouTube Music also allows you to browse channel pages for specific creators, view show details, add podcasts to your library and download episodes for offline viewing. You can listen to podcasts in the background and while casting and download shows for offline listening without a subscription.
“This podcast listening experience is different from our music listening experience where you need a Premium or Music Premium subscription to enjoy some of these features,” notes the search giant.
According to the YouTube Music Help, this update also lets you start watching a podcast episode on the main YouTube app and continue listening to it on YouTube Music. Listeners can also switch between audio and video versions on YouTube Music. Follow Google’s instructions to upload your podcast to YouTube Music.
Download the Google Podcasts app
This is the second service from Google to listen to podcasts. Aside from YouTube Music, you can also listen to your favorite shows in the Google Podcasts app.
View Google Podcasts on the App Store
The primary YouTube app also supports watching video podcasts. Google has said that is has no plans to sign exclusive deals with podcast creators like Spotify.