Podcasts are a great way to get information, but it can be tedious to search for a podcast, download it in your podcast app of choice, and then play it. Google is working to make the podcast searching experience better.
Starting today, you can search for podcasts in Google and then play episodes right from the search results. Just say something like "podcasts about the NBA" or "barbecue recipe podcasts" and you'll see playable episodes alongside your other search results. These episodes are surfaced based on Google's understanding of what's being said on a podcast.
Google plans to improve its podcast web search so that you won't even need the term "podcast" in your search to see episodes.
This podcast functionality will expand to Google Assistant and Google Podcasts for the web later this year. So you could say something like "Hey Google, play a podcast about World War II" and the Google Assistant will suggest relevant episodes for you to listen to.
When you're listening to a podcast, your progress will be synced with Google Podcasts, so you can pick up where you left off anywhere you use that service.
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what's your preferred podcast app?