Podz used machine learning to shoot 60-second clips of podcast episodes and then shoot them into a kind of news feed. This allowed users to watch new podcasts as they were released, increasing the chances of finding a hot new podcast. Now, Spotify has started introducing it into its application. The move was spotted by Chris Messina, who shared a video of the feature in action on Twitter. HUGE!! @Spotify adds a special TikTok Vertical Scroll for @spotifypodcasts to its toolbar! h / t @SleepwellCap #NewSpotify pic.twitter.com/0CWolZGJQy – Chris Messina 🪬 (@chrismessina) March 26, 2022 Speaking to TechCrunch, a Spotify spokesman declined to confirm that the feature was being tested or that it was the result of a Podz acquisition. However, they said that the company regularly tests the changes to help improve its user experience. “At Spotify, we regularly run a series of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” said a spokesman. “Some of these trials end up paving the way for our wider user experience and others only serve as important learning. We have no more news to share right now.” Making podcasts easier to discover, Spotify could well become one of the best iPhone apps for listening to podcasts. The competition is fierce, but finding new podcasts does not match any of the applications I would normally suggest users check out.
