# goo.gl Shut Down: Which Google Short Links Still Work in 2026
> goo.gl shut down: inactive goo.gl links stopped working after August 25, 2025. Which links still work, why Dynamic Links apps were hit twice, and what to use.
Canonical: https://app369.com/blog/google-url-shortener-goo-gl-shut-down-2026/
Last updated: 2026-10-21
[ **Simon Dziak** Founder & developer, App369](https://app369.com/about/szymon-dziak/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymondziak/)
Published October 18, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026•Facts last verified October 21, 2026•6 min
App369https://app369.com/blog/google-url-shortener-goo-gl-shut-down-2026/
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## Key takeaways
- →From May 30, 2018, only projects that already used the URL Shortener APIs could create short links. Google scheduled the console and APIs to be discontinued on March 30, 2019, and said existing links would keep redirecting.
- →Google first said every goo.gl link would stop responding after August 25, 2025. On August 1, 2025 it changed course: only links that showed no activity in late 2024 were targeted for deactivation, and all other goo.gl links are preserved.
- →goo.gl links created by Google apps, such as Maps sharing, keep working. To check any other link, open it: Google says a link that redirects without a message will keep working.
- →Google's 2018 advice was to move to Firebase Dynamic Links, which shut down on August 25, 2025, the same date Google set for deactivating the inactive goo.gl links. Apps that followed that advice had to move their links twice.
- →On October 21, 2026, the URL Shortener API at googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url returned 404, and so did its documentation.
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**Google’s URL Shortener is closed, but not every goo.gl link is dead.** Google limited new short links in 2018 and set March 30, 2019 to discontinue the API. Google said the goo.gl links that showed no activity in late 2024 would stop working after August 25, 2025, and that all other links are preserved. If you still create or expand goo.gl links in code, that code gets a 404 today (I checked on October 21, 2026). If you have goo.gl links in documents, emails or printed material, open each one: if it redirects without a message, Google says it will keep working.
If you landed here from an old link to the URL Shortener API docs or a tutorial that uses them, this is what changed and what to use now. The dates come from two Google Developers Blog posts and my deep-linking guide, as listed in the sources. I checked the old addresses myself on October 21, 2026.
**Disclosure:** App369 is my studio. I build and fix apps, including the links that open them, and the last section mentions what I sell. Google doesn’t pay me for anything on this page.
## What happened to goo.gl, and when
| Date | What happened | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2009 | Google launches the URL Shortener | [Google, 2018](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/transitioning-google-url-shortener-to-firebase-dynamic-links/) |
| March 30, 2018 | Google announces the transition and recommends Firebase Dynamic Links for new short links | [Google, 2018](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/transitioning-google-url-shortener-to-firebase-dynamic-links/) |
| May 30, 2018 | Only projects that already used the URL Shortener APIs can create new short links | [Google, 2018](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/transitioning-google-url-shortener-to-firebase-dynamic-links/) |
| **March 30, 2019** | **The goo.gl console and the URL Shortener APIs are discontinued. Existing links keep redirecting** | [Google, 2018](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/transitioning-google-url-shortener-to-firebase-dynamic-links/) |
| July 18, 2024 | Google announces that goo.gl links will stop responding after August 25, 2025 | [Google, 2024](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/) |
| August 23, 2024 | goo.gl links start showing an interstitial page, for a percentage of links, before redirecting | [Google, 2024](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/) |
| August 1, 2025 | Google changes course: only links with no activity in late 2024 will be deactivated, and all others are preserved | [Google, 2024 (update)](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/) |
| **August 25, 2025** | **Google’s deadline for the inactive goo.gl links. Firebase Dynamic Links shuts down the same day** | [Google, 2024 (update)](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/), [deep-linking guide](https://app369.com/blog/firebase-dynamic-links-shutdown-deep-linking-2026/) |
Google’s 2024 post said more than 99% of existing goo.gl URLs had no activity in the last month. It does not say this is why it changed course in 2025.
### What the old addresses do today
Checked on October 21, 2026:
- A request to **googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url**, the API that created and expanded goo.gl links, returned **404**.
- **developers.google.com/url-shortener** and its getting-started page returned **404**.
- One goo.gl link I tried, goo.gl/fbsS, returned a 302 redirect to google.com. A made-up goo.gl link returned **404**, so a 404 doesn’t tell you whether a link was deactivated or never existed.
- Google’s 2018 post now carries a note at the top pointing to the 2024 announcement.
## Which goo.gl links still work
| Kind of link | What Google says | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| goo.gl links made by Google apps, such as Maps sharing | **Yes**, Google says they keep working | [Google, 2024](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/) |
| goo.gl links that had activity in late 2024 | **Yes**, Google says they are preserved | [Google, 2024 (update)](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/) |
| goo.gl links with no activity in late 2024 | **No**, Google said these stop working after August 25, 2025. I didn’t test one | [Google, 2024 (update)](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/) |
| Creating or expanding links through the URL Shortener API | **No**, Google set March 30, 2019; the API returns 404 today | [Google, 2018](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/transitioning-google-url-shortener-to-firebase-dynamic-links/) |
| Firebase Dynamic Links (page.link), Google’s 2018 replacement | **No**, shut down August 25, 2025 | [Deep-linking guide](https://app369.com/blog/firebase-dynamic-links-shutdown-deep-linking-2026/) |
## What to do if you still use goo.gl
This section is my advice, not Google’s.
1. **Search your code for the API.** Look for `urlshortener/v1`, `goo.gl` and any URL Shortener client library in your app, backend and scripts. Anything that creates or expands links through the API now gets a 404. If your code ignores errors, you may not have noticed.
2. **Find the links you published.** Check your website, app screens, emails, PDFs, QR codes, videos and printed material for goo.gl links. Printed QR codes are the hardest to fix, so start there.
3. **Open each link.** Google says a link that redirects without a message will keep working. A link that returns 404 doesn’t work, and I know of no way to restore it, so replace it wherever it appears.
4. **Replace links you control with links on your own domain.** A short path on your own domain, such as `/go/spring-offer`, can redirect wherever you need, and it keeps working whichever shortener or host you use later.
5. **Use app links for app content.** If a short link was meant to open your app, use Universal Links on iOS and Android App Links on your own domain. The [deep-linking guide](https://app369.com/blog/firebase-dynamic-links-shutdown-deep-linking-2026/) covers the setup.
6. **Move off Dynamic Links too.** If you followed Google’s 2018 advice and moved to Firebase Dynamic Links, those page.link links stopped on August 25, 2025, so they need the same treatment.
My advice from both shutdowns: put short links on a domain you own. Google has now shut down Dynamic Links and cut back goo.gl, two link services developers built on. Links on a domain you own stay under your control.
## Need a hand?
If an app’s links stopped opening the right screen, or a backend still calls the old API, the [App Fix Ticket](https://app369.com/fixed-price/flutter-firebase-bug-fix/) covers it in two fixed-price steps. A $450 Diagnosis gives you the root cause with evidence and a fixed repair quote within 3 business days, credited toward the fix. If you go ahead, the $1,200 Fix takes 5 business days. If you’re not sure where your links point, [send me a short description](https://app369.com/contact/).
## **Frequently asked questions**
- **Do goo.gl links still work?**
- Some do. Google said goo.gl links with no activity in late 2024 would stop working after August 25, 2025. It said all other goo.gl links are preserved, and links made by Google apps such as Maps sharing keep working.
- **How do I check whether my goo.gl link still works?**
- Open it. Google says that if the link redirects you without a message, it will keep working. A link that showed the message "This link will no longer work in the near future" was marked by Google to stop working after August 25, 2025.
- **Why does the Google URL Shortener API return 404?**
- Google's 2018 post set March 30, 2019 as the date it would discontinue the URL Shortener APIs. On October 21, 2026, a request to googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url returned 404. Any code that creates or expands goo.gl links through the API needs another service.
- **What should I use instead of goo.gl?**
- For links on the web, use a shortener you control, ideally on your own domain, so you can change where links point and keep them working if a provider shuts down. For links that should open your app, use Universal Links on iOS and Android App Links, which run on your own domain.
- **Did Google tell developers to use Firebase Dynamic Links instead of goo.gl?**
- Yes. Google's March 30, 2018 post recommended Firebase Dynamic Links for new short links. Dynamic Links itself shut down on August 25, 2025, so apps that followed that advice need to move their links again.
## **Sources**
1. [Google Developers Blog, "Transitioning Google URL Shortener to Firebase Dynamic Links" (March 30, 2018)](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/transitioning-google-url-shortener-to-firebase-dynamic-links/)
2. [Google Developers Blog, "Google URL Shortener links will no longer be available" (July 18, 2024, updated August 1, 2025)](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/)
3. [Firebase, Dynamic Links FAQ and shutdown notice](https://firebase.google.com/support/dynamic-links-faq)
Tags
#goo.gl shut down #google url shortener shut down #goo.gl links not working #goo.gl 404 #google url shortener api #urlshortener v1 404 #goo.gl alternative #firebase dynamic links goo.gl #short links for apps #url shortener 2026
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