Google Won’t Kill All goo.gl Links After All

Key Points

• Google won’t Kill All goo.gl Links After All
• Active and unmarked goo.gl links will remain fully functional
• Google is reversing its earlier decision from July 2024
• User feedback played a key role in this policy change

If you’ve been worried about old goo.gl links breaking soon, good news. Google has officially walked back part of its earlier decision to deactivate all goo.gl shortened URLs by August 25, 2025.

In a new announcement, the company clarified that only goo.gl links that already show a deactivation message will stop working. These are URLs that showed no activity in late 2024 and were flagged for shutdown months ago.

google does this … eg cookies reversal

sus https://t.co/aAFAdFJeT1 pic.twitter.com/xSxgAyHtWj

— accountless.eth (@alexanderchopan) August 3, 2025

However, for everyone else, there’s no need to panic. All other goo.gl links will continue to function normally. That includes links embedded in blogs, videos, emails, and other places across the internet,  many of which have been in circulation for years.

This update comes after strong community feedback and concerns about broken links affecting documents and online content.

Just like when Apple faced a $1B hit from tariffs, user and developer backlash appears to have influenced a major company decision.

Google saw the risk in frustrating long-time users by suddenly breaking link access, an issue similar to Microsoft’s controversial browser tactics that drew public criticism earlier this year.

Oh come on, how hard could it be to keep these links working forever? It could be like a 5-line Worker backed by KV and you’d never have to touch it once deployed. https://t.co/cBcT8N50sk

— Kenton Varda (@KentonVarda) July 24, 2025

Why Google planned to shut down goo.gl links

Google originally introduced the goo.gl URL shortener in 2009. It was popular with web users and developers who needed short, trackable links.

But in 2018, Google decided to stop allowing users to create new goo.gl links, citing the rise of newer tools like Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL).

By July 2024, Google went a step further and said it would deactivate all remaining goo.gl links by August 25, 2025. The reason? The company claimed that most links were no longer in use.

Google now keeping ‘actively used’ goo․gl links, others will stop in August https://t.co/J1IMZcXDI2 by @technacity

— 9to5Google (@9to5Google) August 1, 2025

Google reported that over 99% of the links had no recent activity, and shutting them down would help clean up inactive infrastructure.

At the time, this sparked concern across the web. Many websites, academic journals, news stories, and online platforms had goo.gl links baked into their archives,  and a mass deactivation risked breaking content that was still valuable, even if the links weren’t getting daily clicks.

In tech, losing access to something as small as a URL can be a big deal. Whether it’s a shortened link or a bootloader unlock tool critical for phone developers, maintaining access to legacy tools matters.

Some of Google’s https://t.co/EN4cm0l5YA URLs will continue to work – Google changed its plans – older story updated at https://t.co/HmGzWN6eFt pic.twitter.com/G71jgTK50a

— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) August 1, 2025

Only flagged links will be shut down now

In its latest update, Google acknowledged the impact the shutdown would have had on digital content. They wrote:

“We understand these links are embedded in countless documents, videos, posts, and more, and we appreciate the input received.”

That’s why Google is now taking a more targeted approach. Links that were flagged nine months ago due to inactivity will still be deactivated, but all other goo.gl links will remain active.

To check if your goo.gl link is safe:

• If it shows a message saying it will be deactivated on August 25, 2025, it will stop working.

• If it does not show that message, it will continue to work like normal.

This move is likely to be welcomed by businesses, developers, and creators who rely on legacy content. It also shows that user feedback still plays a role in shaping major tech decisions, especially when there’s a risk of losing functional web history.

It’s a reminder of how deeply web infrastructure is tied into daily life, from WiFi 7 routers like Netgear’s Orbi 370 to AI models like ChatGPT transforming conversations; the tools we depend on have lasting effects.

Preserving old links is one small way of keeping that digital history accessible.