YouTube has announced a series of upgrades for its podcast service, including an AI-powered recommendation tool and an 'Auto speed' setting. This move comes as the streaming giant seeks to compete with other platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The new features aim to enhance user experience by offering personalized content suggestions based on genres, mood or favorite shows. An intelligent playback speed adjustment will also help users navigate through dense segments more efficiently without losing comprehension.

For those who consume content while running or commuting, YouTube has introduced an 'on-the-go' mode with quick controls like skipping and jumping to the next episode. This is designed for users to listen to podcasts with minimal disruption.

The tech giant claims that over 800 million hours of podcast content were watched by Premium subscribers in April 2026, indicating strong user engagement. With these new features, YouTube hopes to not only retain but also grow its audience among the one billion monthly active users.