Shutdown tracker / Google / GIF search API

API shut down Jun 30, 2026 - GIF pickers across the web broke

Google killed the Tenor API. Here is plan B.

Google sunset the Tenor API on June 30, 2026 after rejecting new sign-ups since January. GIF pickers that relied on it - Discord, WhatsApp, X, Bluesky - had to migrate. Tenor.com itself still works; the developer API does not.

--days since the Tenor API shut down

Key dates

  • Jan 2026New Tenor API sign-ups rejected
  • Jun 30, 2026Tenor API shut down for everyone
  • Jul 2026Platforms migrate pickers (X already moved)

Why it happened: Google is trimming non-core services. The Tenor site, Gboard and Google Chat integrations stay - only the public developer API died.

What to switch to

Giphy API

The obvious successor - biggest library, mature SDKs and picker components.

Free tier + paidBest if a drop-in style replacement

Stipop

Sticker + GIF API popular with chat apps.

Free tier + paidBest if chat and messaging apps

Klipy

Ad-supported GIF API positioning itself for ex-Tenor devs.

Free (ad-supported)Best if keeping costs at zero

Self-hosted library

Curate your own GIF set and serve from a CDN.

Infrastructure cost onlyBest if full control, no third party

Options listed alphabetically by fit, not ranked - pick by your constraint (price, stack, control). No winner is declared.

How to migrate

  1. Find every Tenor call in your codebase (search "tenor.googleapis.com" and "g.tenor.com").
  2. Register for the replacement API (Giphy is the closest match) and map endpoints.
  3. Swap the picker component and re-test rate limits - quotas differ from Tenor.
  4. Ship, then monitor 4xx spikes: cached Tenor URLs in old messages may still 404.

Sources

9to5Google - Google pulls the plug on the Tenor API Hacker News - shutdown thread

More shutdowns

SoraApp shut down Apr 26, 2026 - API dies Sep 24, 2026 Bento.meShut down Feb 13, 2026 after the Linktree acquisition OpsgenieEnd of support Apr 5, 2027 - unmigrated data will be deleted Project OnlineRetires Sep 30, 2026 - workflows already broke in April

Facts current as of July 2026 - dates come from official announcements (see sources). Always verify against the vendor before making migration decisions.