Podcasts are coming to Google Play Music

Podcasts are joining your music. Photo: Google

Podcasts are joining your music. Photo: Google

Google is finally embracing podcasts again on Android, three years after ditching its official Listen app. The company today announced that it is bringing podcasts to its Play Music app, and it will help you find new shows based on your mood.

Listen, Google’s original podcast app, used to come bundled on Android, but Google ditched it back in August 2012. Android users have had to resort to third-party offerings since then, but not for long.

You’ll soon be able to enjoy your favorite podcasts inside the Play Music app — alongside albums, tracks, and playlists. What’s more, the same algorithms that currently help you find music based on what you’re doing or how you’re feeling will apply to podcasts, too.

So if you’re looking for something new, Play Music will help you find the perfect show for that Sunday morning workout, that Monday morning commute, or the Friday night wind-down.

Google is opening up its new podcast portal today, allowing podcasters in the U.S. to submit their shows to Play Music before the new service is opened up to users. It is already working with more than a dozen popular networks, including 5by5, HBO, HowStuffWorks, Nerdist, and This Week In Tech.

Google hasn’t confirmed when podcasts will be available to users inside Play Music, but it promises more detail “in the coming months.”