URL shorteners were all the rage back in early 2009 thanks to the rise of social media networks like Twitter and its extremely constrictive 140 character limit.
Even social media bios and comment sections have similar constraints and during a time when every character mattered, the internet turned to URL shortening services like Bit.ly and goo.gl as a way to cram (even track) links wherever they could be posted.
After officially launching back in 2009, Google URL Shortener — aka goo.gl — is officially shutting down next month. Google announced the news in a Google Developers blog post, urging devs to switch over to Firebase Dynamic Links and pointing users to services like Bitly and Ow.ly.
Don’t worry about existing links you’ve already shortened. According to Google, they will continue to redirect to their intended location, just don’t expect to get all that fun tracking data. Google says goo.gl will officially shut down starting April 13th.
Farewell and thanks for memories. ?
