Google Podcasts reaches 50 million installs on the Play Store

Google Podcasts was never really my favorite podcasting service. I was always a fan of Pocket Casts, actually, but when they began to add a price tag to get features that used to be free, I jumped ship and headed over to Google’s minimalist listener. What I didn’t realize was that its simplicity would be what captivated me in the end and now I can’t get enough of it. Apparently, 50 million others feel the same, because that’s the milestone Google Podcasts has reached on the Play Store!

For those of us who enjoy listening to something in all of those odd in-between times of our day when we can’t really look at a screen or the pages of a book, podcasts can be a godsend. Whether you’re driving, working out, or even showering, it can be great to throw the latest episode of a podcast on your Nest Mini or in your earbuds and crank out some personal development. Passively learning and becoming informed is an incredible life hack and if you’re not already doing it, we recommend you give it the good ‘ole college try. In fact, to get you started, we’ve compiled some of our favorite podcasts for you below. While many are focused on personal development, others are informational and some are even just entertaining (especially The Truth).

Before Google brought Podcasts to the web, they were only available via the Google Search app on Android. You could find them via a web search, but there was no way to go directly to https://podcasts.google.com and boy was that frustrating! What’s worse is that when Google brought the Assistant to Chromebooks, the update wiped out the Search app from their laptops, and by extension, the Podcasts app too since it was dependent on the former! This meant that if you had a Chromebook, you couldn’t listen to Google Podcasts at all from that device.

If you haven’t already checked out the newest episode of The Chrome Cast, our very own podcast where we go over the latest in the world of Chrome and Chrome OS so that you can be more informed on all of the latest updates, changes, and devices, then you should check it out! This week, we discuss the Best Chromebooks of 2020, the best places to find deals for the holidays, and Apple’s new M1-powered Macbook and Mac Mini, and how they could one day lead to Google creating their own silicon!

Some interesting podcasts to get you started

• The Dad Edge
• Stuff You Should Know
• The Truth
• ELI5
• Adam Ruins Everything
• The Magnus Archives
• TED Talks Daily
• The Chrome Cast 😉
• Assistant On Air
• Building a StoryBrand with Donald Miller
• But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
• Curiosity Daily
• Google Partners
• Lore
• Mental Floss
• Miriam-Webster’s Word of the Day
• Myths and Legends
• Storynory – Stories for Kids
• The Ground Up Show
• Adventures into Odyssey
• The Joe Rogan Experience
• The Tim Ferriss Show
• Marketplace
• Make Me Smarter

Check out Google Podcasts