What you need to know
- Following the shuttering of Google Podcasts, YouTube Music is now Google's podcast delivery app, but it has lacked a few major features typically offered by podcast apps.
- Google is now adding the ability to share audio links from the YouTube Music app that start at a specific timestamp.
- The feature mimics the same functionality that was added to the main YouTube app this year, and is available on both iOS and Android.
Google made a major shift in its podcasts delivery strategy this year, shuttering Google Podcasts in favor of YouTube Music. That decision was met with ire from fans, because YouTube Music lacks a few features that are staples on other podcast apps. However, the company has been making slow-and-steady progress with YouTube Music, and that's continuing — the app is gaining a long-overdue feature that'll be helpful for podcast listeners.
Just like the main YouTube app, you can now create a shareable link in the YouTube Music app for a song, podcast, or other recording that starts at a specific timestamp. The new addition, first spotted by 9to5Google, appears to be the result of a server-side change. Android Central confirmed the feature's availability on a variety of Android 14 and Android 15 devices, which didn't require an update.
After tapping the share button on the now playing screen, there is now a toggle at the top right corner of the share card that reads Start at [timestamp]. This will create a link for sharing that starts at your current timestamp. It's helpful for when you only want to share a specific part of a long podcast. The app will add t=XX to the link, where XX is the current position in the timeline in seconds. Then, you can share it like any other YouTube Music link.
Although the feature may be more useful for long-form audio content, like podcasts, it'll work for any type of content in YouTube Music, including songs. Now, whether you're using the YouTube or YouTube Music app, you'll be able to create a shareable link that starts at a specific timestamp.
The new option appears to be widely available on both iOS and Android; however, at least one of Android Central's devices had not yet received the server-side change. It's also available on the YouTube Music web client, which was redesigned earlier this year.
