Google To Shut Down Its Goo.gl URL Shortener Next Year

If you didn’t know, Google has a URL shortening service where they take long URLs and converts them into shorter ones using the goo.gl link. This helps keep things neat, especially if you’re sharing them in emails, messages, social media, and so on. Unfortunately it looks like Google will be shutting that service down.

In an announcement on its blog, Google claims that over the years since the feature was launched, people have been finding content on the internet differently than they did before, leading them to believe that maybe the need for a URL shortening service might no longer be necessary.

According to Google, “To refocus our efforts, we’re turning down support for goo.gl over the coming weeks and replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL). FDLs are smart URLs that allow you to send existing and potential users to any location within an iOS, Android or web app. We’re excited to grow and improve the product going forward.”

The good news is that if you’re still using a goo.gl URL shortener, Google claims that these links will continue to redirect users to their intended destination after the service has been sunset. However following that, users won’t be able to access other goo.gl features and its console. In the meantime the service will continue to operate and users can still create short links until the 30th of March, 2019.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Google