Google’s killing off Tenor GIF searches in other apps

The GIF-picking interfaces in some of your favorite online platforms might look different going forward, as Google prepares to shut down the Tenor API today. While the Tenor website, along with its searchable GIF library, will remain live, platforms like X, Discord, Bluesky, and WhatsApp that previously integrated the API are now having to migrate to alternative GIF picker services.

Google acquired the Tenor GIF platform in 2018. Both its website and API allow users to search for GIFs using keywords, similar to competing services like Giphy and Klipy. Google will continue using Tenor across its own services, including Google Messages and Gboard. It stopped accepting requests for new API sign-ups and integrations on January 13th, according to its Tenor FAQ page.

After June 30th, Google says any Tenor API agreements and current integrations will be “fully decommissioned,” and that any attempt to make an API request after the transition deadline will fail and result in an error message. The API is being shuttered “as part of an ongoing effort to focus resources on enhancing our core products,” according to Google.

Several apps impacted by the API shutdown have already started moving to other services. X Product head Nikita Bier said on June 21st that the platform was “forced to migrate” because of it, though didn’t specify what GIF picker it would be using going forward. Discord started testing Giphy and Klipy as Tenor alternatives in January, and WhatsApp was working on replacing Tenor with Klipy in May.

The most noticeable change for the users of these platforms is that you might lose access to your favorite Tenor GIFs, as the libraries of GIF pickers vary depending on the service. After Meta announced plans to acquire rival provider Giphy in 2020, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority described Tenor as the only equivalent “large provider of GIFs,” and said the Giphy acquisition would “negatively impact competition between social media platforms.” Meta was then made to divest itself of the GIF library in 2023.