goo.gl is shuttering Google shortening service

goo.gl is shuttering Google shortening service

Google announced that it is shutting down its URL shortening service, goo.gl. The company says that new and anonymous users won’t be able to create links through the goo.gl console as of April 13th, but existing users will be able to use it for another year, after which it will be discontinued completely.

Firebase Software Engineer Michael Hermanto says that the company introduced the URL shortener in 2009, and that since then, the ways in which people share information on the web has changed, while additional URL shorteners have grown in popularity. He notes that Google is refocusing its efforts by replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL), which allow users to redirect to specific locations in iOS, Android or web apps.

Existing users will be able to create shortened URLs and export data from the goo.gl console through March 30th 2019. After that time, shortened links will continue to redirect to their destinations, but won’t be migrated over to the new Firebase console.