Google announces end for goo.gl links: Service shutdown by 2025
Google takes another step toward disabling support for goo.gl shortened links, which were widely used on the internet just a few years ago. New ones have not been accepted for a long time, but as just announced, all existing ones will stop working in 2025.
4:01 PM EDT, July 22, 2024
Google announced on its blog that all links using the proprietary "goo.gl shortener" will stop working after August 25, 2025. This information is especially significant for developers who use this solution. Google states that after the given date, all links will lead to a 404 error page, meaning they won’t work. Therefore, it is necessary to change the address generation mechanism if it is used in applications before this time.
Additionally, Google announces that starting from August 23 of this year addresses using the goo.gl URL will direct to an additional page where users will learn about the planned service shutdown. Interestingly, not all links will immediately lead to additional notifications. Google states that more and more goo.gl links will operate this way as the planned service shutdown date in 2025 approaches.
The shutdown of the goo.gl link shortening service is another example of Google's actions, which, in the long run, are not necessarily understandable. History remembers many other useful tools and applications that Google initially gained a lot of recognition for among many users, only to unexpectedly cease further development and remove any traces of previous operations from the internet. An example is the once well-regarded photo organizer and basic editor, Picasa.
