Originally announced in 2018, its goo.gl URL shortening serviceWill go down in history, and plans to replace it with Firebase Dynamic Links in 2024statementAfter the URL links originally shortened by the goo.gl service will be completely invalid in late August 2025, Google has apparently changed its original decision and will allow some of the goo.gl shortened URLs that are still active and clicked to continue to exist, which means that the goo.gl shortened URL service will continue to exist in this special form.
According to GoogleThe change was made in response to user feedback regarding the widespread use of these links in digital content. Since goo.gl shortened URLs have been widely embedded in a large number of documents, videos, social media posts, and websites accumulated over the past few years, Google has decided to retain the functionality of some links to avoid a large-scale link failure that would impact the user experience.
Google stated that goo.gl shortened URLs that still function properly will "continue to function for a period of time," but did not specify a specific end date. Conversely, if a link displays a "will be discontinued" warning message when clicked, it means the URL is on the shutdown schedule and is expected to remain disabled after August 8th of this year.
This change represents an adjustment to Google's previous "complete disabling" policy. The remaining short URLs will be screened based on whether they have been used in recent years. In particular, links with a record of redirection operations before the end of 2024 will most likely continue to be retained. This means that goo.gl short URL links that are still actively clicked will have a chance to extend their life, while short URLs that have not been used for many years will become invalid.
The goo.gl URL shortener was first launched in 2009 as Google's official URL shortening service, initially designed to address the need for long URLs on social media platforms like Twitter and in text-restricted environments like text messaging. Subsequently, with the rise of alternatives like Bit.ly, TinyURL, and Rebrandly, as well as the widespread use of QR codes, usage of the goo.gl URL shortener gradually declined, leading Google to announce the closure of the new link generation feature in 2018 and encourage developers to move to more flexible frameworks like Firebase Dynamic Links.
Although the goo.gl URL shortener service hasn't been updated in a long time, many older websites and apps still rely on it to redirect. Shutting it down completely would cause a large number of link failures and a surge in invalid URLs, a significant problem for both users and service operators. Therefore, Google is clearly making this compromise based on user feedback and pressure from actual usage.
However, Google still does not guarantee that these "surviving" links can be used permanently. It recommends that website administrators and developers gradually replace the previous goo.gl shortened URLs with more modern solutions or set up their own shortening system to reduce potential risks in the future.
