I ditched YouTube Music's broken podcast player for an open source app that actually works

Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police | Prostock-studio / Shutterstock Published Sep 8, 2026, 8:15 AM EDT Marvin is a Features Author for Android Police. His media career began as an editorial assistant at a now-defunct print publication. He has since transitioned to digital media as an editor, attended technology events in over 10 countries, and earned his master's degree in journalism. He enjoys film photography, outdoor running, and alternative coffee brewing during his leisure time. Sign in to your Android Police account I'm an avid podcast listener. I play podcasts while driving, when I'm gardening, or even while falling asleep. Spotify had been my go-to podcast app after Google Podcasts shut down in 2024. In a recent move to cut down on my paid subscriptions, I migrated my podcasts from Spotify to YouTube Music. Its paid service is bundled with my YouTube Premium account, so the transfer seemed logical. Unfortunately, YouTube Music fails to replicate the functionality of the platform it replaced. Google Podcasts was dedicated to podcasts and didn't try to bite off more than it could chew. I've been looking for a replacement for YouTube Music. I needed a dedicated podcast app that was straightforward and free. I didn't want to pay for another subscription. That's how I ended up with AntennaPod. It's open source and available on Google Play. After trying all its features, I wish I had discovered it sooner. YouTube Music made simple functions feel so complicated It always prioritizes music selection over podcasts YouTube Music is not a dedicated podcast app, even though it replaced one. It still prioritizes music, as its name implies. This leads to several issues that push me away from using Google's only podcast platform. The most glaring issue is podcasts being hidden within YouTube Music's library. You have to open the app, select Library from the bottom navigation bar, and choose Podcasts at the top to separate podcasts from music. Another frustration is that YouTube Music fails to remember where I paused a podcast episode. I've lost count of how many times the app has made me listen to an episode from the very start. This is especially annoying when an episode doesn't come with timestamps to help me jump back in. The final straw came when YouTube Music constantly failed to refresh podcasts from RSS feeds. Multiple users have reported this, and Google still hasn't implemented a solution. This is the biggest hurdle to keeping YouTube Music as a primary podcast app. What's the point if you can't see the latest episodes? I eventually gave up on YouTube Music as a podcast app and started looking for a replacement. I chose AntennaPod for its glowing reviews and open source nature. AntennaPod became my podcasts' new home I can trust basic functionality again AntennaPod addressed every issue I had with YouTube Music. As soon as I added my subscriptions via RSS feeds, AntennaPod updated the lists seamlessly. The app allows me to adjust the automatic refresh interval. The default is every 12 hours, but you can override it by pulling down from the Inbox page. Playback continuity is the other feature AntennaPod does better than YouTube Music. To date, I haven't lost progress on any of my queued episodes. It works whether I'm streaming online or playing a downloaded episode. AntennaPod's other edge is automatic downloads. You can turn it on globally for all subscriptions; YouTube Music can do this only on a per-show basis. AntennaPod can also auto-delete completed episodes, which is another feature YouTube Music lacks. Most importantly, AntennaPod puts your subscriptions and downloaded episodes front and center. The home page is customizable, so you can choose which categories to highlight. I prefer seeing my queued episodes first, followed by new episodes and downloaded episodes. Again, YouTube Music failed to replicate this from Google Podcasts. AntennaPod supports subscription synchronization using independent providers. Alternatively, you can export your database to another device or create an OPML file to use in a different podcast app. The AntennaPod app doesn't display ads. You'll only hear them from the podcasts you listen to. The app is maintained by volunteers and supported with donations, which keeps it from shifting to a paid premium model. It's a simple app that masters the basics before adding more features. This approach is reminiscent of Google Podcasts' straightforward interface when it was still around. I stopped waiting for Google to figure out podcasts I'll continue using YouTube Music as my primary music player. YouTube Music's massive song selection overshadows all my frustrations with the service. I appreciate its archive of live performances not found on Spotify. That alone justifies the ad-free premium I must pay. For podcasts, I'm sticking to AntennaPod. It feels like a spiritual successor to Google Podcasts with its ease of use and interface customization. It's free, as well, so I don't have to pay another monthly bill. All I want is an app that refreshes my podcast feeds and remembers my progress. AntennaPod does those and more. I finally have an app that caters to my podcast-listening needs.