Just 10 Months After the Release of the New Feature with Podcasts, Facebook Deactivates it

Grace Edwards 11 May 2022

According to Bloomberg's latest posts, the decision has been made to completely get rid of podcasts on Facebook which starts on June the 3rd. And as early as this week, users will not be able to add podcasts, which includes the removal of the Soundbites audio product with its central audio hub.

Podcasts were first talked about on Facebook in April last year, due to the wave of popularity of the Clubhouse app. Subsequently, Meta actively developed both the podcasts themselves and the possible options for their development in the future. Also, the interface for working with podcasts was worked out in detail, so that the convenience of using this feature on Facebook is in no way inferior to dedicated apps.

The Facebook podcasts were officially launched last July, and now, less than a year later, it is leaving the app. Meta's message on this topic was rather brief, and the emphasis was on the fact that the company prioritizes its most in-demand areas. From this, we can conclude that podcasts on Facebook were not very popular.

This decision of the company caused a mixed reaction, as an inconsistent innovation strategy contributes to a sense of instability among users. In the past year, Meta has been optimizing the direction of its investments to maintain a steady level of income, and users have to endure certain inconveniences as a result of sometimes quite drastic and unexpected changes.

How do you feel about deleting podcasts from Facebook? What features do you want Facebook to add? Share your perspective on this subject by leaving a comment below.