Twitter has announced today that it’s moving to close the popular short video sharing service Vine, taking to Medium to break the news. Vine has been a popular app since Twitter launched it in 2013, but it seems the time has come to bid it farewell.
Vine hasn’t been for everyone, and while it has been popular, it doesn’t really fit with Twitter’s focus at the moment, which is surfacing and showing off breaking news and events rather than things like Vine. With tools like Twitter Search, Periscope and Moments, it’s clear that Twitter doesn’t have a place for services like Vine.
Twitter had this to say on the closure of Vine:
Nothing is happening to the apps, website or your Vines today. We value you, your Vines, and are going to do this the right way. You’ll be able to access and download your Vines. We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made. You will be notified before we make any changes to the app or website.
Thank you.Thank you. To all the creators out there — thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day. To the many team members over the years who made this what it was — thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.
What’s next? We’ll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way. We’ll be sharing more details on this blog and our Twitter account, and will notify you through the app when we start to change things.
It’s always sad to see services go by the wayside, especially those which were as popular in certain circles as Vine. However, we would also rather see Twitter’s efforts focused elsewhere. People are doing great things with Moments and Periscope, and Vine really hasn’t kept up with that pace.
Were you a Vine user? Will you miss the service when it’s gone?
Care factor: 0
What’s Vine? Exactly!