Google has officially announced the deprecation and transition of their URL shortening service, Google URL Shortener. Starting August 25, 2025, links generated using the service in the form of https://goo.gl/* will no longer return a response. This decision is part of Google’s effort to adapt to changes in how people find content on the internet and the emergence of new popular URL shortening services.
Takeaways 🚀
✅Deprecation starts August 2025
✅Interstitial pages for goo.gl links
✅Developers need alternative solutions
✅Firebase Dynamic Links recommended
✅All goo.gl links discontinue
Key Changes and Timeline
- Deprecation Announcement: Initially, Google ceased accepting new URLs for shortening but continued to serve existing URLs.
- Interstitial Pages: Beginning August 23, 2024, a percentage of
goo.gllinks will start displaying an interstitial page. This page will notify users that the link will no longer be supported after August 25, 2025, before navigating to the original destination. - Increasing Frequency: Over time, an increasing percentage of
goo.gllinks will show this interstitial page until the complete shutdown date. - Final Shutdown: After August 25, 2025, all
goo.gllinks will return a 404 response, meaning they will no longer be accessible or functional1.
Impact on Developers
Any developers using goo.gl links will be affected by this change. The interstitial page can disrupt the flow of redirected links, especially those using 302 redirects, and may prevent social metadata from displaying correctly on destination pages.
Transition to Firebase Dynamic Links
To manage this transition, developers are advised to start updating and transitioning their goo.gl links to alternative URL shortening services as soon as possible. Adding the query parameter si=1 to existing goo.gl links can suppress the interstitial page if it is causing disruptions, but this is only a temporary measure until the final shutdown.
Google recommends transitioning to Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL), which offers advanced features and functionalities tailored for modern web and app experiences.
The deprecation of Google URL Shortener marks the end of an era for many developers and users who relied on the service for straightforward URL management. While this transition may pose challenges, it also opens the door to adopting newer technologies that better serve evolving digital landscapes.
Resources🚀
✅ Google URL Shortener links will no longer be available – Link
