Google’s Product Pruning Continues: A Comprehensive Look at Recent Discontinuations
In a move consistent with its history of product launches and shutdowns, tech giant Google has announced a series of discontinuations and changes across its product lineup. This latest round of adjustments affects a wide range of services, from the company’s AI assistant to its popular Chromecast devices.
Google Assistant, the company’s voice-activated AI helper, is undergoing significant changes. The integration with Gemini, Google’s latest AI model, is being discontinued, while 17 features are being removed from the Assistant. Additionally, the Google Assistant Driving Mode is scheduled to shut down in February.
Search functionality is also seeing modifications. Google is removing the extra search box from results pages, ending an experiment that allowed search result annotations, and discontinuing the infinite scroll feature on search results.
In the hardware domain, Google is bidding farewell to its Chromecast line, a product that revolutionized streaming with its HDMI dongle format. This move marks the end of an era for the popular device.
Health and fitness services are not immune to the changes. Google is shutting down developer access to Google Fit APIs, while also facing leadership departures in its Fitbit division and implementing layoffs in its AR team.
Media services are evolving as well. Google Podcasts is being phased out in favor of YouTube Music, with the service remaining available until March 2024. Google Play Movies & TV is also being discontinued.
In the realm of digital payments, Google is transitioning from Google Pay back to Google Wallet, simplifying its payment offerings.
Communication services are seeing adjustments, with the messaging feature being removed from Google Maps. This follows a pattern of Google discontinuing various messaging apps over the years.
Other notable changes include the retirement of Google Search’s cache links, the end of Gmail’s basic HTML view in 2024, and the shutdown of certain Chrome apps and extensions.
Google’s AR and VR efforts are also affected, with Project Iris augmented reality glasses being discontinued and support ending for Daydream VR and related products.
These changes reflect Google’s ongoing strategy of product iteration and discontinuation, a practice that has been part of the company’s approach for years. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, Google’s product lineup adjusts accordingly, impacting users and shaping the future of digital services.
