Google’s Quiet Habit of Letting Go
Google builds. And Google buries.
Between 2022 and 2025, the tech giant pulled the plug on several services — some niche, others surprisingly mainstream. The shutdowns followed a familiar rhythm: low usage, strategic shift, or simple overlap with existing tools.
But each closure left a mark — brief or lasting — on users who built habits around these tools.
This is a curated list of Google’s most talked-about shutdowns over the last three years.
Top Discontinued Google Products (2022–2025)
From productivity tools to consumer platforms, here’s what made its way to the graveyard:
Google Podcasts
Launched as a lightweight alternative to third-party podcast apps, Google Podcasts aimed for simplicity. In 2023, Google began phasing it out in favor of podcast features within YouTube Music. The transition was gradual — and not all users made the switch. The migration was slow — and not everyone followed.
Google Jamboard
An attempt to digitize whiteboards. Part hardware, part collaboration app. Shut down in 2024 after limited user uptake and the growing dominance of Google Meet’s native collaboration tools.
Google Currents
A corporate spinoff of the now-defunct Google+, Currents lived briefly as a tool for internal enterprise communication. It was sunset in 2023, with Spaces in Google Chat marked as its successor.
YouTube Stories
Borrowing the short-form “Story” format from Snapchat and Instagram, YouTube gave it a try. But traction was limited. By mid-2023, Stories were quietly removed, replaced by a focus on Shorts.
Stadia
The most ambitious — and perhaps the most scrutinized — shutdown. Google Stadia, the company’s venture into cloud gaming, officially shut down in early 2023. Technical performance impressed some. Adoption didn’t.
Why They Were Shut Down
There’s no singular reason.
Some tools had a small user base. Others became redundant as Google consolidated services. In a few cases, the company cited “changing user needs” — a phrase that often masks internal recalibration.
Revenue alignment also played a role. Projects like Stadia required ongoing investment. Without mass adoption, sustaining it didn’t fit the broader strategy.
Even Google Podcasts, despite loyal users, couldn’t justify its siloed existence next to YouTube’s expanding ecosystem.
What Came After
For each closed door, there was often a redirected path:
- Google Podcasts → YouTube Music (Podcasts tab)
- Jamboard → Google Meet + third-party tools
- Currents → Google Chat (Spaces)
- YouTube Stories → Shorts
- Stadia → Unofficially replaced by NVIDIA GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud, and others
Users weren’t left stranded — but many had to adapt.
Some transitioned smoothly. Others didn’t bother.
Legacy and Reaction
Google’s product churn rate is infamous. For developers and users, it creates friction. One day, you’re building workflows around a tool. The next, you’re reading a “sunset announcement.”
The community responded with a mix of fatigue and pragmatism. Some shrugged — used to the pattern. Others voiced concerns about reliability and long-term trust.
Reddit threads. Tech blog retrospectives. A few satirical memes.
And then silence.
In Summary — The Pattern Holds
Products come. Products go. Especially at Google.
Between 2022 and 2025, the tech graveyard welcomed tools built with ambition — but perhaps lacking the staying power of Gmail or Docs. That’s not failure. It’s adjustment.
Bullet Recap:
- Google Podcasts
- Launched: 2018
- Discontinued: 2023
- Purpose: Lightweight podcast playback
- Replaced by: YouTube Music (Podcasts)
- Launched: 2018
- Google Jamboard
- Launched: 2016
- Discontinued: 2024
- Purpose: Collaborative whiteboarding
- Replaced by: Google Meet tools
- Launched: 2016
- Google Currents
- Launched: 2020 (rebranded)
- Discontinued: 2023
- Purpose: Enterprise social platform
- Replaced by: Google Spaces
- Launched: 2020 (rebranded)
- YouTube Stories
- Launched: 2018
- Discontinued: 2023
- Purpose: Short-form creator updates
- Replaced by: YouTube Shorts
- Launched: 2018
- Stadia
- Launched: 2019
- Discontinued: 2023
- Purpose: Cloud gaming
- Replaced by: Market alternatives
- Launched: 2019
- Purpose: Cloud gaming
- Replaced by: Market alternatives
Some players still miss it. Others forgot it existed. As with many Google products, its memory now lives on — in subreddits, abandoned dev forums, and tech nostalgia podcasts.
You never know until you try — and sometimes, trying means launching a platform before the world is ready. Or before your infrastructure is. Stadia tried. It blinked. Then it was gone. But hey — moonshots don’t land unless someone’s willing to miss first.But it does raise a question: what’s next on the list?