Since it was first released, Google Play Music has been an Android user’s best choice for finding and listening to music on their phones and on the web. With the accompanying Music Manager app, you can even upload your own audio to your Google account and listen via the web or the Google Play Music app. However, listening to recurring media, like podcasts, in the Google Play Music app has always been overly slow and complicated.
In the coming months though, that’s all about to change. Today, the official Android blog announced that podcast support will be coming to Google Play Music. Starting now, podcasters be able to add their own shows to the index, like with the iTunes podcast directory. In the coming months, users will be able to search and browse podcasts based on category or keyword. However, perhaps the most powerful potential feature of this service will surface new podcasts for listeners based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, or based on their interests, similar to the way Songza suggests music playlists.
Today, podcasters can add their shows to the directory from g.co/podcastportal, and Google is already working with big networks like Gimlet Media, 5by5, and This Week in Tech to get all their shows hooked into the service. More details are said to be on the way “in the coming months”.
[source]Official Android Blog[/source]
