YouTube Music tests new feature to improve podcast listening experience: What is it

Google is reportedly planning to improve the podcast listening experience on its music streaming platform YouTube Music. According to a report by 9to5Google, the YouTube Music app is expected to get a “Trim Silence” option for podcasts.
The tech giant has hinted at the support for a “Trim Silence” feature within the latest version of YouTube Music (v6.43.52).
This feature is already available in Google Podcasts and multiple other podcast apps. With this option, the platform will be able to find stretches of silence in a podcast and automatically skip past that. This will result in a slightly shorter runtime for the podcast.
The following strings in the latest update suggest the arrival of the option:
The report claims that the functionality is yet to go live on YouTube Music. Google is expected to roll out the feature either as a server-side component or with an app update in the coming days..

Google didn’t design YouTube Music as a podcasting app. Over the past few years, the company has been building out features related to Podcasts within a short span.
YouTube already support important features like adding podcasts via RSS and automatic downloads for new episodes. However, it’s still missing a lot of podcast features, the report adds.

Google’s dedicated app for podcasts, Google Podcasts is also set to shut down soon. Users will be able to access the app until the end of this month.
Earlier, the company announced that Podcasts users who want to retain their subscriptions and playlists will need to migrate them to YouTube Music by July.
Users can also choose to export their data from Google Podcasts and import it into another podcasting app that supports OPML uploads. This feature is expected to help Google retain the Podcasts customers transitioning away from the app.