“Google+ for consumers is shutting down on April 2, 2019,” reads the line on Google Play store.
Launched in 2011, Google+ competed with Facebook and Twitter but lost owing to the poor level of engagement it could create with the users.
A blog says, “The consumer version of Google+ currently has low usage and engagement – 90% user sessions are less than five seconds.”
Google+ is now commemorated on the Google Cemetery website, which keeps a record of failed projects.
How did people react?
The shutting down of Google+ has been emotional for a few, selective audience who were well versed with google+.
Sabin Astrails mentions on google play store, “It makes me sad that Google is taking away our home. I have been on it ever since 2013 and it’s been many wonderful years.”
Another consumer, Sarai Tomblin posts, “I’ve had Google + since around 2015. To be honest, it made my childhood. People thought it was weird but, I always stood firmly by it.”
Lydia Maria Fanfan, quotes, “I learn a great deal from Google+. I do not understand why it is being phased out.”
Why Google+ had to be shut?
In April 2014, the founder of Google+, Vic Gundotra, left the company and from the had few changes.
Features such as Hangouts and Photos were separated from Google+ to be run as independent services.
Google started to disentangle Google+ from YouTube and Google Play.
In 2015, Google+ had a makeover designed to focus on “communities” but this also failed to ignite interest in the platform.
Over time, it was the discovery of two data breaches that made Google close the platform.