Farewell Google Podcasts. Here’s An Easy Way to Migrate Your Podcast Subscriptions
In September 2023, Google announced that it would shut down Google Podcasts in 2024 to integrate it with YouTube Music. Users in the U.S. have been warned to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music before April 2. After this date, streaming will no longer be possible, but users have until July to complete the migration process.
The Problem
If you’re like me, a Google Podcast user who:
- Does not want to use YouTube Music; or
- Found it difficult to find resources for an easy migration (case in point: YouTube Music’s official migration tool does NOT work)
Then you’re in luck because we will do just that — migrate our precious podcast subscriptions somewhere else in a straight-to-the-point, easy tutorial.
How to Migrate Your Google Podcasts Subscriptions
Foreword: We will be using Podcast Addict in the following guide. It’s not mandatory to use it; just make sure that your preferred podcast app or service supports the import of OPML files.
Step 1: Export Your Subscriptions Using Google Takeout
But what is Google Takeout, you ask? Essentially, it’s a tool that allows you to download or migrate ALL of your Google-related data. This guide only focuses on how to use it for Google Podcasts.
- Go to your Google Takeout page
- Click “Deselect all” to avoid backing up all your Google data, which can be extensive and time-consuming
- Tick Google Podcasts
- Click Next Step
- Choose “Send download link via email” or “Add to Drive”
- Click Create export. At this point you might get prompted to enter your Google account password.
- For further clarification, please refer to the video below.
- You will receive an email whether you chose that option or the “Add to Drive” one, informing you that the backup file —which is in .zip format — is ready.
- Download and extract (this is important) the .zip file to somewhere convenient for later access by your android phone. Tip: Use your Google Drive’s root location. You may also just email the files to yourself. The important file here is the Subscriptions.opml
Step 2: Import the OPML File to Your Podcast App
- Download Podcast Addict if you haven’t already.
- Navigate to “Restore” (Podcast Addict’s import feature):
- Hamburger Icon -> Gear Icon -> Backup/Restore -> Restore
- Find and click on Subscriptions.opml file
- Specify podcasts to restore by ticking on their designated check marks or the top check mark if you want to restore all.
- Enjoy! But if you can’t because you’re stuck, refer to the video below.