Google plans to permanently shut down its goo.gl URL shortening service in August 2025. Users and developers are advised to switch to alternative solutions, as all goo.gl links will become invalid once closed.
The closure of goo.gl
The end of the era of Google short links
Google has announced the final termination of its goo.gl URL shortening service. According to 9to5google , the complete closure of the service will take place on August 25, 2025. It is worth noting that the ability to create new short links was stopped back in March 2019.
Service rollback history
The process of abandoning goo.gl began back in 2018, when Google informed about the termination of support for the service for ordinary users and developers. The following year, the creation of new links was stopped, and access to analytics and management of existing URLs was restricted.
Consequences of closing the service
After goo.gl is permanently closed, all links of the format https://goo.gl/* will stop working and users will receive a 404 (Page Not Found) error message. Starting from August 23, 2024, when trying to go to the goo.gl link, users will see a temporary page with a warning about the upcoming closure of the service. You will be given the option to continue following the link and disable further displays of this message.
Recommendations for developers
Google warns developers about possible problems with the functioning of goo.gl links due to the appearance of a temporary page. This may affect redirect chains and the display of social metadata of landing pages. With this in mind, the company strongly recommends switching to alternative URL shortening services as soon as possible.
For developers whose projects critically depend on goo.gl links, Google offers a workaround. The "?si=1" parameter can be added to existing links to temporarily hide the warning page.
Alternative solutions
In 2018, Google recommended developers to switch to using Firebase Dynamic Links - a service that automatically determines the user's platform (website or mobile application) and performs the appropriate redirection. However, the company also later stopped supporting this service for developers.
It is worth noting that earlier Google also decided to abandon the function of continuous scrolling in search results.
Glossary
- Google is an American technology company specializing in Internet services and products
- goo.gl - URL shortening service from Google
- Firebase Dynamic Links - service for creating dynamic links from Google
- URL - unified resource locator, standardized address of a web resource on the Internet
- 9to5google - a website specializing in news about Google and its products
Links
- https://9to5google.com/2024/07/18/googl-links/
- https://9to5google.com/2018/03/30/google-url-shortener-shut-down/
- https://goo.gl/*
- https://redirect.viglink.com /?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_172139678676817&key=b8f771eed689587b82c4635131ce08d7&libId=lysqajr801010l04000UL1ii841iy5808f&loc=https%3A%2F%2F9to5google.com%2F2024%2F07% 2F18%2Fgoogl-links%2F&ccpaConsent=1---&v=1&out=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebase. google.com%2Fsupport%2Fdynamic-links-faq&title=Google%27s%20goo.gl%20links%20will%20stop%20working%20in%20August%202025&txt=shutting%20down%20that%20service
Answers to questions
When will Google finally stop the goo.gl service?
What happens to existing goo.gl links after the service is closed?
How will Google warn users about the closure of the goo.gl service?
What problems might developers face due to the closure of goo.gl?
Is there a workaround for developers still using goo.gl?
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Discussion of the topic – End of an era: Google closes goo.gl - what does this mean for users?
Google has announced the complete shutdown of the goo.gl link shortening service as of August 25, 2025. Creating new short links is no longer possible since March 2019.
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Oleksandr
Wow, shock! I've been using goo.gl for link shortening until now. What to do now? 😱 Anyone know of good alternatives?
Sophie
Oleksandr, don't worry! I switched to Bitly a long time ago. Very convenient service, and there is even a free version. Try it, you'll like it! 😊
Giovanni
And I use TinyURL. Simple and reliable. Sophie, how is Bitly better than TinyURL? Maybe I should change it too?
Sophie
Giovanni, Bitly has a cool interface and great analytics. You can track clicks, geolocation, and more. But TinyURL is also a good choice if you don't need additional features. 📊
Hans
Phew, those endless changes again. Why do you need these abbreviations at all? Regular links work just fine. All this is just a waste of time.
Maria
Hans, you are a grumbler! 😄 Shortened links are very useful for social networks where the number of characters is limited. In addition, they look neater in messages.
Oleksandr
Thanks for the tips! Sophie, I'll try Bitly. Maria is right - such links are indispensable on Twitter. And they also help track statistics of transitions. It's cool! 📈
Pierre
Wondering why Google is shutting down this service? Maybe there are some security issues? 🤔 Does anyone know the official reason?