Google to end Tenor GIF search integration in third-party apps
▼ Summary
– Google is shutting down the Tenor API, forcing platforms like X, Discord, and WhatsApp to migrate to alternative GIF picker services.
– The Tenor website will remain live, and Google will continue using Tenor in its own services like Google Messages and Gboard.
– All existing Tenor API agreements and integrations will be fully decommissioned after June 30th, with any API request after that date failing.
– Several impacted apps have already begun migrating, with X saying it was forced to move and Discord testing Giphy and Klipy as replacements.
– Users may lose access to their favorite Tenor GIFs, as the libraries of alternative GIF pickers vary by platform.
The way users search for and share GIFs across popular online platforms is about to change. Google is shutting down its Tenor API today, ending a key integration that allowed third-party apps to access its vast GIF library. While the Tenor website itself will remain operational, major platforms including X, Discord, Bluesky, and WhatsApp are now being forced to transition to alternative GIF picker services.
Google acquired Tenor in 2018, positioning it as a direct competitor to services like Giphy and Klipy. The platform’s API and website both enable keyword-based GIF searches. Google plans to keep Tenor active within its own ecosystem, such as Google Messages and Gboard. However, according to the company’s Tenor FAQ page, it stopped accepting new API sign-ups and integrations on January 13th.
The transition deadline is clear. As of June 30th, Google states that all existing Tenor API agreements and current integrations will be “fully decommissioned.” Any attempt to make an API request after this date will simply fail and return an error message. Google attributes the shutdown to “an ongoing effort to focus resources on enhancing our core products.”
Several affected apps have already begun migrating to other services. On June 21st, X Product head Nikita Bier noted on the platform that it was “forced to migrate” due to the API closure, though he did not specify which GIF picker would replace Tenor. Discord began testing Giphy and Klipy as alternatives back in January, and WhatsApp was reportedly working on replacing Tenor with Klipy as early as May.
The most immediate impact for users is the potential loss of access to their favorite Tenor GIFs. The libraries offered by different GIF pickers vary significantly by service. This shift also revives past regulatory concerns. When Meta announced plans to acquire rival Giphy in 2020, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority identified Tenor as the only equivalent “large provider of GIFs.” The regulator warned that the Giphy acquisition would “negatively impact competition between social media platforms,” ultimately forcing Meta to divest itself of the GIF library in 2023.
(Source: The Verge)
