Google adds handy playable podcasts to search results
Search for a podcast, try out a recent episode.
Google is making it easier to search for podcasts.
Google's rolling out the ability to play podcasts from our search results just days after announcing it during the I/O developer conference.
Searching for a podcast brings up the latest trio of episodes and lets you play them instantly from the Google Podcasts web player on desktop or mobile.
It uses the same mechanics as the Android app that came out last year, and syncs across multiple devices if you're signed in to your Google account. The app isn't out on iOS, but you can still use the features on an Apple device's web browser, as highlighted by 9to5Google.
The functionality works across both desktop and mobile. It's especially useful on iOS where a dedicated Google Podcasts app is yet to be released, as 9to5Google notes.
Rolling out this week you'll be able to search for and play podcasts directly in Google Search across Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, a step toward making audio a first-class citizen across Google. pic.twitter.com/29ohC7W9z8
— Zack Reneau-Wedeen (@ZackRW) May 9, 2019
Zack Reneau-Wedeen, Google Podcasts' head of product, tweeted a demonstration of the new functionality on Thursday.
In March, the BBC removed its podcasts from Google's app after concluding that the search giant's policy of directing people looking for BBC podcasts to its own app "reduces people's choice."
First published at 5:19 a.m. PT.
Updated at 5:50 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.
