Google’s killing off Tenor GIF searches in other apps

Jul 01, 2026 12:00 AM - 2 hours ago 40

Jess Weatherbed

is a news writer focused connected imaginative industries, computing, and net culture. Jess started her profession astatine TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.

The GIF-picking interfaces successful immoderate of your favourite online platforms mightiness look different going forward, arsenic Google prepares to unopen down the Tenor API today. While the Tenor website, on pinch its searchable GIF library, will stay live, platforms for illustration X, Discord, Bluesky, and WhatsApp that antecedently integrated the API are now having to migrate to replacement GIF picker services.

Google acquired the Tenor GIF platform successful 2018. Both its website and API let users to hunt for GIFs utilizing keywords, akin to competing services for illustration Giphy and Klipy. Google will proceed utilizing Tenor crossed its ain services, including Google Messages and Gboard. It stopped accepting requests for caller API sign-ups and integrations connected January 13th, according to its Tenor FAQ page.

After June 30th, Google says immoderate Tenor API agreements and existent integrations will beryllium “fully decommissioned,” and that immoderate effort to make an API petition aft the modulation deadline will neglect and consequence successful an correction message. The API is being shuttered “as portion of an ongoing effort to attraction resources connected enhancing our halfway products,” according to Google.

Several apps impacted by the API shutdown person already started moving to different services. X Product caput Nikita Bier said connected June 21st that the level was “forced to migrate” because of it, though didn’t specify what GIF picker it would beryllium utilizing going forward. Discord started testing Giphy and Klipy arsenic Tenor alternatives successful January, and WhatsApp was moving connected replacing Tenor pinch Klipy successful May.

The astir noticeable alteration for the users of these platforms is that you mightiness suffer entree to your favourite Tenor GIFs, arsenic the libraries of GIF pickers alteration depending connected the service. After Meta announced plans to acquire rival supplier Giphy successful 2020, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority described Tenor arsenic the only balanced “large supplier of GIFs,” and said the Giphy acquisition would “negatively effect title betwixt societal media platforms.” Meta was past made to divest itself of the GIF library successful 2023.

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