A new Google Home update is on the way that includes a feature allowing users to start and resume podcasts between Google Assistant enabled devices, according to a report stemming from Pacific Content.
This means that if you start listening to a podcast on your Android smartphone, you’ll be able to pause and continue listening to that same podcast on a Google Home — right from where you left off. All you need to do to activate this feature is to request Google Home to play the specific podcast with a voice command.
This means that if I’m listening to a podcast during my commute home, that I then want to finish once I walk through the front door of my apartment, all I need to do is ask one of my Home devices to play that particular podcast again. While a simple change, this makes continuing podcasts from exactly where you left off a much easier process.
Beyond Google Play Music, Google actually doesn’t have a dedicated podcast app. The only work around for this issue is to use search results as a homepage shortcut. In an interview with Pacific Content, Zack Reneau-Wedeen said that a surprising number of users have been taking advantage of this particular workaround.
With I/O only weeks away, a new podcast section in Google’s Home app, or perhaps a dedicated ‘Google Podcasts’ app, could be on the horizon. Apple has had a dedicated podcast app for iOS devices since 2012.
Google Assistant — even with Google Home — is currently capable of playing specific podcasts and episodes, but the content seems to be sourced directly from Google Search.
Source: Pacific Content
