Many of us listen to podcasts while driving so it stands to reason that a successful podcast app would have Android Auto support. You would also expect the king of Android Auto, Google, would have this seemingly simple feature of Android Auto support built into their podcast app, Google Podcasts. If you expected that you would be disappointed.
This is all set to change soon with Google finally rolling out Android Auto support for Google Podcasts — but only for those on the beta channel of the Google app.
In the beta version v8.91 of the Google app their Podcasts app finally shows up in the Android Auto list of media apps connected. The interface is very similar to most other podcast apps but in this case the only groups in the navigation drawer are Your Podcasts, New Episodes, Downloads and In Progress.
There is currently no easy way to filter your apps. Folders would be a very handy addition — I don’t want my NFL, NBA and Android podcasts contaminating each other.
The beta version is expected to hit the stable channel next week so keep an eye out for the update and check out the Google Podcasts app before heading back to your usual podcast app due to its lack of the usual functionality.
For those who cannot wait until next week you can grab the APK from here.
