Google’s product portfolio is constantly changing, and there may have been additional products that were discontinued since then. Here are the last 5 products that were discontinued by Google, along with their respective shutdown dates:
- Google Cloud Print – Discontinued on December 31, 2020.
- Google Play Music – Discontinued on December 31, 2020.
- Google Expeditions – Discontinued on June 30, 2021.
- Google Poly – Discontinued on June 30, 2021.
- Google Daydream VR – Discontinued on October 15, 2019.
Google Cloud Print – Discontinued on December 31, 2020.
Google Cloud Print was a service provided by Google that allowed users to print from any device to any printer, as long as both the device and the printer were connected to the internet and registered with Google Cloud Print. The service was discontinued on December 31, 2020, and users were advised to find alternative printing solutions, such as the native printing capabilities of their devices or third-party printing services.
REASON – Google Cloud Print was discontinued because the service had become less necessary as more printers and operating systems natively supported printing over the internet. Google also wanted to focus its resources on other printing initiatives, such as improving the native printing experience on Chromebooks and integrating cloud-ready printers with Google Workspace. Therefore, Google Cloud Print was discontinued on December 31, 2020, and users were advised to use alternative printing solutions.
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Google Play Music – Discontinued on December 31, 2020.
Google Play Music was a music streaming service provided by Google that allowed users to stream and download music from a vast library of songs. The service was discontinued on December 31, 2020, and was replaced by YouTube Music, another music streaming service offered by Google. Existing users were advised to transfer their music library to YouTube Music to continue accessing their content.
REASON – Google Play Music was discontinued because Google wanted to focus on a single music streaming service, which led to the launch of YouTube Music. By consolidating its efforts on a single music streaming platform, Google aimed to provide a better and more streamlined user experience for its music streaming users. Google provided tools to help users transfer their music libraries from Google Play Music to YouTube Music, which allowed them to continue accessing their content on the new platform.
Google Expeditions – Discontinued on June 30, 2021.
Google Expeditions was an immersive education app provided by Google that allowed teachers and students to explore the world and learn about various topics through virtual reality field trips. The service was discontinued on June 30, 2021, and users were advised to use Google Arts & Culture and Google Search as alternative educational resources. Some of the features of Google Expeditions have been integrated into Google’s ARCore platform, which enables augmented reality experiences on mobile devices.
REASON – Google Expeditions was discontinued as part of a broader shift in Google’s AR/VR strategy. Google decided to shift its focus from providing standalone VR apps and hardware to integrating AR/VR features into other products, such as Google Search and Google Maps. As part of this shift, some of the features of Google Expeditions were integrated into Google’s ARCore platform, which enables augmented reality experiences on mobile devices. Google also recommended other educational resources, such as Google Arts & Culture, to replace the immersive field trip experience that Google Expeditions provided.
Google Poly – Discontinued on June 30, 2021
Google Poly was a 3D object and scene repository provided by Google that allowed users to browse, download, and share 3D objects and scenes. The service was discontinued on June 30, 2021, and users were advised to use other 3D object libraries or platforms, such as Sketchfab or Tilt Brush. Some of the features of Google Poly have been integrated into other Google products, such as Google’s 3D viewer in Search and the Blocks 3D modeling tool.
REASON – Google Poly was discontinued as part of a broader effort to streamline Google’s product offerings and focus on products that are most valuable to users and developers. Google decided to sunset Google Poly and reallocate resources to other AR/VR initiatives, such as ARCore and Tilt Brush. Google provided tools to help users and developers download their existing 3D objects and scenes from Poly and migrate them to other platforms. By discontinuing Google Poly, Google aimed to better align its AR/VR efforts with the evolving needs and preferences of users and developers.
Google Daydream VR – Discontinued on October 15, 2019
Google Daydream VR was a virtual reality platform provided by Google that allowed users to experience immersive VR content on a variety of compatible devices. The service was discontinued on October 15, 2019, and Google announced that it would no longer be developing or releasing any new Daydream hardware or software. Existing Daydream users were advised to use other VR platforms, such as the Google Cardboard or the Oculus Quest.
REASON – Google Daydream VR was discontinued because Google decided to shift its focus away from developing its own VR hardware and instead focus on developing AR/VR features for other products, such as Google Search and Google Maps. Google made this decision because the company saw greater potential for AR/VR to become mainstream in mobile devices and other platforms rather than in standalone VR headsets. As a result, Google announced that it would no longer develop or release new Daydream hardware or software, and it recommended other VR platforms, such as the Google Cardboard or the Oculus Quest, for users seeking VR experiences.
