It seems that there’s no need for a Google URL shortener any more, with Google announcing they’ll be switching off the service this year. Don’t worry though, existing shortened links will continue to work.
The Google URL shortener has been in operation since 2009, but it’s the end of times for the service with Google announcing the service will end on their Google Developers Blog.
The details for the closure are that as of April 13, 2018, anonymous users and users who have never created short links before today will not be able to create new short links via the goo.gl console. Google is recommending that anyone looking to shorten a URL check out alternatives Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL), Bitly or Ow.ly. For existing Goo.gl users, the console will continue to work until March 30, 2019.
Google is recommending that any developers requiring link shortening should start looking at FDL APIs for use in their apps.
The links will still work, but the change will let Google refocus their efforts towards the FDL APIs. It’s yet another service we can add to the list of sunsetted services.
