YouTube Music trims the silence, prepares to fill Google Podcasts void

As Google winds down its dedicated Google Podcasts app, YouTube Music is stepping up its podcast game with a new feature in development — “Trim Silence.”

The discovery comes courtesy of 9to5Google, who dug into the code of the latest YouTube Music APK (v6.43.52). This discovery coincides with the phasing out of the Google Podcasts app, positioning YouTube Music as the go-to podcast platform within the Google ecosystem.

The Trim Silence feature — already available in most major podcasting apps — allows listeners to automatically skip silent stretches within episodes, effectively shortening the playback time. The code strings discovered by the outlet reveal labels like “Trim silence.” There is also a description mentioning “Skip stretches of silence during episodes,” confirming the feature’s purpose.

Traditionally known for music streaming, YouTube Music wasn’t designed for podcasts. However, over the past year, Google has been bolstering its podcast capabilities. Features like subscribing to podcasts via RSS feeds and automatic downloads for new episodes were introduced to cater to podcast enthusiasts.

While the feature isn’t currently functional within YouTube Music, there’s a good chance it will go live with an app update in the near future. Regardless, its inclusion bodes well for podcast fans transitioning away from Google Podcasts.

Google had previously announced that Google Podcasts users will be able to access the app only till March 2024. Those who wish to retain their subscriptions and playlists will need to migrate them to YouTube Music by July 2024. Alternatively, podcast enthusiasts can choose to export their data from Google Podcasts and import it into another podcasting app that supports OPML uploads.