Google confirms plans to put another app on the chopping block

This story was originally published 2021/04/08
1:05pm PDTon Apr 8, 2021 and last updated 2021/04/09
3:41pm PDTon Apr 9, 2021. 

Google is relentless in putting all but its most successful ventures out to pasture — it’s one of our least favorite things about the company. Only a week has passed since the imminent removal of its Wifi app was scheduled for June, and already, Google is back for more. This time, the search giant has set its sights on Google Shopping, as the company plans to shut down its dedicated mobile app within the next few weeks.

News of an impending shutdown first appeared after new code was found in the app’s latest version by XDA Developers. Several new error messages redirecting users to “Shop on the web” once the sunsetting period has begun have been implemented in the latest update to Google Shopping. Although its dedicated mobile shopping experience still works for now, the company confirmed to 9to5Google that it plans to sunset the app in June.

RIP Google Shopping’s mobile app. Google is preparing to sunset it. New fragment in v59 of the Android app.

CC @killedbygoogle pic.twitter.com/Q3RpujZr3K

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 8, 2021

It’s not all bad news for Google Shopping. Users can still head over to the mobile site to find their next impulse buy, with all of the same functionality still in place. Considering the app only managed to rack up one million installs on the Play Store through its lifespan — a far cry from most of Google’s usual download benchmarks — it might be time to focus on improving the mobile site rather than continuing to maintain dedicated software.

If you want to use the Google Shopping app before it shuts down for good, you can find it over at the Play Store or download the latest version from APK Mirror.