There is good news for YouTube Premium subscribers who love podcasts, as the platform just announced three new features heading their way.
This update shows how serious YouTube is about competing with audio-first apps like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, especially as Netflix is also ramping up its investment in video podcasts.
What are the new podcast features for Youtube Premium subscribers?
The first addition is On-the-go mode, which is the most useful feature of the three. When you are running, commuting, or just doing something else with your hands, it switches your podcast to an audio-friendly layout with a static image and easy controls to skip forward or backward. It is live on Android now and coming to iOS in the months ahead.
The second feature is Auto speed, which automatically adjusts how fast your podcast plays based on what is happening in the audio. If a host is speaking slowly, it speeds up. If the conversation gets dense or complicated, it slows down. Think of it as a smarter version of the manual speed control you already have, and it is also live on Android now, with the iOS version coming soon.
Ask Music now helps you find your next favorite podcast
The third addition is an expansion of Ask Music, YouTube’s AI recommendation tool that already helps you build personalized playlists and radio stations in the YouTube Music app. It now covers podcasts too.
You can ask for recommendations based on your mood, a genre, or shows you already enjoy, and let it surface something new for you. This is available to YouTube Music Premium and Premium subscribers in select countries.
Interestingly, these three features land at a notable time. YouTube Premium prices in the US are set to rise in June, and updates like these are clearly meant to justify that cost for podcast fans.