Google to Shut Down Tenor API on June 30, Affecting Major Platforms
Key Date: The Tenor API will be discontinued on June 30, 2024. After this date, any API request will fail and return an error.
The Shutdown
Google, which acquired the Tenor GIF platform in 2018, has announced it will shut down the Tenor API on June 30, 2024. The API, used by platforms like X, Discord, Bluesky, and WhatsApp to integrate GIF search, will cease to function entirely after that date. Google stopped accepting new API sign-ups on January 13, 2024.
A Google spokesperson stated the shutdown is "as part of an ongoing effort to focus resources on enhancing our core products."
What Remains Operational
Despite the API shutdown, the Tenor website and its searchable GIF library will remain online. Google will continue using Tenor in its own services, such as Google Messages and Gboard.
Impact on Platforms
Affected platforms are now migrating to alternative GIF picker services.
- X: Product head Nikita Bier confirmed on June 21 that the platform was "forced to migrate" but did not specify the new service.
- Discord: Began testing Giphy and Klipy as alternatives in January 2024.
- WhatsApp: Was working on replacing Tenor with Klipy in May 2024.
Users may lose access to specific Tenor GIFs, as GIF libraries vary by service.
Background Context
In 2020, Meta announced plans to acquire Giphy, a rival GIF provider. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority described Tenor as the only equivalent "large provider of GIFs" and stated that the Giphy acquisition would "negatively impact competition between social media platforms." Meta was ultimately required to divest Giphy in 2023.