Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 30
Google Ends Tenor GIF API After 8 Years, Hitting X and Discord
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 30

Google Ends Tenor GIF API After 8 Years, Hitting X and Discord

3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 30

Summary

  • June 30 marked the end of Google’s Tenor API, cutting off third-party GIF search and sharing tools used by platforms including X and Discord.
  • Google stopped taking new integrations in January and said the shutdown lets it focus resources on core products, while Tenor remains available inside Google services.
  • Tenor, acquired by Google in 2018, had continued to power external apps alongside products such as Gboard and Google Messages until the API was made private.
  • Discord has already shifted to Klipy and Giphy, WhatsApp moved to Klipy earlier this year, and X adopted another GIF library as platforms replaced Tenor access.

Insights

Why is a Google fund investing in the replacement for the API that Google itself just shut down?
Is the death of free APIs an inevitable trend in a profit-driven tech industry?