Twitter starts giving away podcasts to Blue subscribers

Twitter is starting to release podcasts. Currently only available to Blue subscribers on iOS, coming soon to Android.

Twitter has been working on some pretty big new features for some time now. Some of them are or will be reserved for Blue paid subscribers, others will be available to everyone. One thing seems clear: the platform wants to focus on sound. It does this by integrating podcasts. They are also rolled out to Blue subscribers.

Twitter launches podcasts

Twitter has launched a new Spaces tab. Starting today, Twitter Blue subscribers on iOS can enjoy this new release through the Labs Early Access feature. Android users will have to wait a bit. This tab brings Spaces group performances and recordings to the platform, and even offers a selection of popular podcasts that you can listen to right through the app.

For now, only Blue subscribers on iOS have access.

Evidence that Twitter is working on podcast integration came to light last March, when developer Jane Manchun Wong discovered links to the tab in Twitter’s source code. A few months later, the company began testing this change to its interface with a small group of English-speaking Android and iOS users. In the current version, the tab offers separate categories for current and upcoming spaces, as well as a “Stations”section that groups together podcasts and spaces on similar topics.

Coming soon to Android

If the interface chosen by Twitter doesn’t seem the most appropriate for finding a particular podcast or episode, then that’s the design choice. This tab will not replace dedicated apps such as Pocket Casts, nor does it claim to. However, it can help you find something new to listen to, and if you can spot a gap or two in doing so, then the tab will serve its purpose well.

Listen up: Podcasts are coming to Twitter!

now available on Twitter Blue Labs – iOS members get early access to try out the redesigned @TwitterSpaces tab, which includes podcasts, themed audio stations, and live+recorded spaces.

(Android coming soon!) pic.twitter.com/l2YS5OaaVI

— Twitter Blue (@TwitterBlue) September 12, 2022