Google Podcasts could soon provide better recommendations - Android

Google's gearing up to make its Podcast app more personalized

What you need to know

• Google Podcasts could soon add a 'heart' icon.
• This is designed to help improve recommendations for other podcasts.
• The feature is not available for everyone, as it can only be enabled on the backend.

Podcasts are the new radio, and it's important to be using the best podcast apps for Android. Google Podcasts falls in that category, and it won't be long before the app provides better recommendations for new shows.

Google has pushed a new update for the beta version of its Podcasts app, and 9to5Google has found mentions of some lines of code suggesting some features. The biggest of these is a potential "heart" icon that would allow the app to show more personalized recommendations.

When tapped, a notification appears at the bottom that says "Got it. You'll see more episodes like this in your recommendations." There's also an Undo button right next to it in the event that you change your mind.

It appears that there are a few additional features which will help with the process under the Explore tab. There will be a few different options at your disposal, including the ability to "Show more like this", "Show fewer like this", Share, and Mark as played.

There are already a few personalized sections within the Google Podcasts app, but this feature would aim to provide better recommendations. Being able to find new podcasts will help ensure that you have something new and different at your disposal when you've exhausted your current list of podcast episodes.

While Pocket Casts continues to be a fan favorite, these changes, along with a few recent other updates, could make Google Podcasts into a real contender.

Simple and useful

Google Podcasts

Free at Google Play

Google Podcasts is an increasingly solid option

It may not be the best of the best, but Google Podcasts is being actively updated with new and useful features to change its course. Having Assistant integration and a sleek design makes for a fantastic podcast listening experience.