Google Play podcasts might finally launch on April 18th

Podcasts have been rumored to come to Google Play Music for a long time now, and it looks like that wait is finally over. As noticed by Android Police, NPR sent a newsletter out to member partners that said podcasts would come to Google Play Music on April 18th. It's not concrete confirmation, and we've been burned in the past by similar accidental disclosures (like Bill Simmons tweeting that podcasts would launch on Google's platform back in February), but this seems like pretty solid evidence that Google Play Music will get perhaps its biggest missing feature filled in soon.

There aren't many other details to be gleaned from NPR's accidental disclosure; the newsletter says that podcasts will be coming to Android as well as "other platforms." It seems pretty likely that the feature will roll out on iOS and the web as well. Most avid podcast fans have gotten by just fine without official Google support thus far, but if you hate switching between apps for your audio needs or just prefer Google's apps, this should be a solid addition to your phone. The real question is what exactly took Google so long to add this feature in the first place... but that hopefully won't matter as of next week.