First Google+ APIs will go off the air at the end of January

Google has provided some more information about the Google+ shutdown process. On January 28, 2019, developers can expect the very first APIs to stop working. Step by step they will all be closed and that process will be completed on March 7th.

Google reports this on its developer blog. Developers using the Google+ APIs will also receive an email with a list of recently used APIs. The generally most used APIs are REST, Web, Android sdk, Domains and Pages. In addition, Google+ integrations for web and mobile apps will also be shut down, which will cause “+1” buttons, share buttons, etc., for example, to stop working and as a result, web pages may experience functionality and layout issues.

Originally, Google planned to blacklist the consumer version of Google+ in August of next year, but that process has also been accelerated. In April 2019, a month after the last api was closed, the consumer version of Google+ itself should also be defunct. The enterprise version will continue to exist and is even being developed further.

The decision to shut down Google+ came after a privacy bug was discovered that allowed access to outside developers’ account information. It was kept under wraps by Google for months, fearing reputational damage and because there was no evidence that the data was misused or developers were aware of the bug. This involved static, optional data such as name, email address, work, gender and whether the person is in a relationship.

Another reason for shutting down Google+ is that the APIs proved difficult to develop and maintain. Google also recognizes that consumer and developer usage is very low.