9 Best Fixes for Google Podcasts Not Downloading Episodes Error on Android

Obviously, you need to troubleshoot your mobile data and your Wi-Fi network. A temporary connectivity issue could be the cause. Common settings like Airplane mode and other options are on / off as they should for any app to work on your Android phone.

Let’s start.

1. Google problem

This has happened before and could happen to you again. There are several ways to verify this. The first is to go to Twitter or check out major tech blogs when they cover stories like these. You can also use #googlepodcasts to quickly filter search results.

2. Storage space

With all the videos we shoot and the photos we click on, it’s easy to push the internal storage capacity to its limits. You can check how much space you have left under Settings> Device care> Storage. The options may vary depending on the make and model of your phone.

You can erase old junk files, especially media files that consume more space of your internal storage. Files by Google is also a good app which will break down for you where all that storage space has gone and erase unnecessary files quickly and efficiently.

Upload files by Google

3. Manage the automatic download

Most people don’t realize it, but podcasts can take up a lot of space and you won’t even notice it because they are set to automatically download in the background. Now, if that happens, you might not have room for new episodes. That’s why you can check the downloads under the Activity> Downloads tab. Delete old episodes to make room for new ones.

You can find the option to enable automatic downloading of new podcast episodes under Settings> Automatic download.

You can also handle these automatic downloads a little differently. Google Podcasts comes with two options where you can “Delete completed episodes” and “Delete unfinished episodes” automatically after a certain number of days. Again, both options are available under Settings.

4. Try to download again

Maybe the connectivity link broke while you were downloading the episodes. You should head to the downloads section to check the partially downloaded episode to inspect it. Some users have found that deleting the episode and downloading it again does the trick.

Deleting a downloaded podcast episode is easy. Tap the three-dot menu icon, select the episode, and then tap the delete button. Finished.

5. Update the application and operating system

Are you using an older version of the Google Podcasts app? Open the Play Store and search for the Google Podcasts app.

You will notice the Open button if there is no update available and the Update button if there is one available. Please update and check again if downloads work on podcasts or not.

6. Cache and data

Removing cache files and other associated data from an application can solve many problems. Refer to our guide to find out what happens when you clear app cache and don’t worry because it doesn’t delete your data. You should note that the steps may vary slightly depending on the brand and model of your smartphone, but the basic principle remains the same.

7. Battery power management settings

Many Android phones have battery management settings that provide various features, and one of the most popular is to close unused apps and reduce background data usage. Since most apps call this setting with a different name, you will need to manually check the power management settings on your Android phone. Aggressive RAM management could kill the Google Podcasts app running in the background, assuming it is consuming data.

8. Reinstall the Google Podcasts app

I’m sharing this method here because I want you to do a clean reinstallation. Otherwise, the same old corrupted data responsible for this strange behavior will come back to haunt you.

Follow the steps from point 6 above and delete all cache and data files. Then uninstall the Google Podcasts app and reinstall it again. It’s called a clean reinstall and I recommend doing this regardless of what platform you are using it on.

9. Third-party podcast app

There are plenty of podcast apps available on the Play Store, and a lot of them are simply better than what Google has to offer. I would recommend Pocket Casts and Spotify, but you can choose one. Note that these two are not free, but the features and ease of use more than justify the price. Spotify is pretty self-explanatory, and you’re probably already using it to stream songs. Why not use it for podcasts as well?

Sleeping pods

Now that you know how to fix Google Podcasts not downloading episodes issue, you will enjoy your favorite shows without interruption. However, if you are having this problem on your Android phone again, you can try one of the fixes listed above. There are many free and paid third-party apps that provide a distinct podcast discovery and listening experience. Are you going to change your default podcast app? Let us know in the comments section below.