Users rage as millions of GIFs are removed in an instant thanks to Google
There's nothing better than getting that zinger in the group chat, scrolling through your carefully cultivated library of GIFs, and dropping it with perfect timing. Hilarity ensues, and you cement yourself as the funniest one once again.
Sadly, your days of sharing your favorite Real Housewives reactions, Homer Simpson walking backward into a hedge, and Michael Scott shouting “no” could already be over. It comes as Google officially discontinues the public Tenor API today (June 30).
2026 got off to a disheartening start when Google announced it would be stopping new Tenor API registrations in January.
Why have Google got rid of GIFs?
This was already going to affect thousands of apps and services that use Tenor to integrate GIFs into social apps and keyboards, but now, the service has gone dark for many.
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The public API has now been shuttered, meaning those who attempt to turn to Tenor for sharing all those hilarious GIFs will have to find an alternative.
Even though the Tenor website and Google’s own Gboard live on, external developers have lost the ability to integrate this expansive GIF library into the apps we use every day.
Explaining why the curtains are coming down, a Google blog stated: "As part of an ongoing effort to focus resources on enhancing our core products, we've made the decision to sunset the Tenor API on June 30, 2026."
Sure enough, attempts to make API requests now fail and are met with an error message.
Everything from Discord to WhatsApp relied on Tenor, while X also had it baked into our keyboards. All of the above have transitioned to alternatives, but when it comes to X, vocal critics are complaining about a drop in quality now that it completely relies on GIPHY.
The January forewarning means many made the jump to other providers months ago, but with more strain on other companies, our GIFs are getting a little glitchy.
Any meme that was uploaded strictly to Tenor without being cross-posted to GIPHY has been scrubbed from our lives, and if that wasn't enough, there are numerous complaints that things have slowed to a crawl as GIPHY tries to readjust.
Over on X, there was plenty of outrage. One critic grumbled: "Literally the best gifs are uploaded here, why?"
Another joked: "Burning of the Library of Alexandria but for Discord users."
A third lamented: "This is such a loss to the internet man…I can’t believe we’ll be losing gifs literally everywhere 💔💔 not to sound like a millennial but… come onnnnn."
Considering GIPHY has over 10 billion files, it's not like we're missing all of our favorites, but it's disheartening to see that some of your more niche choices could be gone from this world.
At least Joe Exotic's "I am never gonna financially recover from this", Leonardo DiCaprio raising a glass, and Tyra Sanchez's "I was rooting for you" will be immortalized for a bit longer.