Home / Technology / Google Pulls Plug on Tenor API, Shaking Up GIFs Everywhere
Google Pulls Plug on Tenor API, Shaking Up GIFs Everywhere
30 Jun
Summary
- Google's Tenor API is shutting down today, June 30th, 2026.
- Major platforms like X, Discord, and WhatsApp must find new GIF providers.
- Google acquired Tenor in 2018, integrating it into its services.
As of June 30th, 2026, Google is decommissioning the Tenor API, a move that will alter the GIF-picking experience on numerous popular online platforms. Services such as X, Discord, Bluesky, and WhatsApp, which previously relied on Tenor's API for their GIF libraries, are now compelled to integrate alternative solutions.
Google, having acquired Tenor in 2018, will continue to utilize the GIF platform within its own products, including Google Messages and Gboard. The company ceased new API sign-ups and integrations on January 13th, 2026. Any existing API agreements and integrations will be fully decommissioned after today's deadline.
Platforms are already adapting. Discord began testing Giphy and Klipy in January 2026, while WhatsApp was working on a switch to Klipy in May 2026. The most significant user-facing change will be the potential loss of access to previously saved favorite GIFs, as each platform's GIF library varies. The shutdown comes years after the UK's Competition and Markets Authority highlighted Tenor as a key competitor in the GIF market, especially relevant after Meta's attempt to acquire Giphy.
