Google is methodically reducing the number of services it offers to users. In the spring of 2019, the company announced the shutdown of its URL shortening service, Google URL Shortener (goo.gl), which had been launched 10 years prior. Now, it has been revealed when the service will finally cease to function.
In a blog post, Google announced that "the time has come to deactivate support for part of the Google URL Shortener." Thus, just over a year from now, links in the format https://goo.gl/* will stop working and will return a 404 error message saying "Page not found." These links will become inactive on August 25, 2025.
One year prior to the shutdown, starting on August 23, 2024, goo.gl links will begin to display an intermediary page informing users that "this link will no longer work shortly." This message will initially appear for "a small percentage of existing links," which will increase as the deadline approaches. Google urges developers to update affected links as soon as possible, since this intermediary page may cause interruptions in link redirection.
When Google announced the closure of goo.gl about five years ago, the company encouraged developers to transition to the Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL) service, which has since also ceased operation.
Source: The Verge
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