Apps & Consumer
YouTube adds AI-powered podcast features for Premium users
YouTube is rolling out new podcast features for Premium users, including AI recommendations and playback tools, as it seeks to retain and grow its podcast audience.
On Thursday, YouTube announced the launch of several new podcast features for Premium, the platform’s paid subscription service. The updates introduce an artificial intelligence-powered recommendation tool, an “Auto speed” setting, and a new on-the-go listening mode. The AI recommendation tool builds on YouTube’s existing “Ask Music” feature—which allows Premium users to generate personalized radio stations and playlists—by offering podcast recommendations based on genres, current moods, or previously enjoyed shows.
The new Auto speed feature is designed to make listening more efficient by adjusting playback speed during slower speech or information-dense segments of a podcast. While users can already manually adjust playback speed, conversational pacing can be inconsistent if hosts speak at different speeds or change their tone. The Auto speed feature addresses these changes throughout a conversation, allowing users to listen at an automatically adapting speed without sacrificing comprehension.
Meanwhile, the on-the-go listening mode provides listener-friendly controls for multitasking activities such as running or commuting. This mode includes quick controls for skipping forward or backward and jumping to the next episode, which YouTube states is designed to make background playback easier to manage. Both the Auto speed and on-the-go listening features are currently available on Android, with an iOS rollout scheduled for the coming months.
Through these updates, YouTube appears to be targeting users who typically consume podcasts on audio-first apps—platforms primarily focused on audio content, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The launch also highlights YouTube’s efforts to compete with other platforms investing in video podcasts, such as Netflix. The feature rollout comes as YouTube is looking to both retain and grow its podcast engagement metrics. The platform reported that Premium users watched over 800 million hours of podcasts in April 2026, and YouTube Podcasts currently has over 1 billion monthly active users.
Why it matters
By integrating AI-driven discovery and adaptive playback tools, YouTube is positioning itself directly against dedicated audio platforms and video-podcast competitors. The updates show how the platform is leveraging its scale to capture a larger share of the podcast market.