An excellent writeup and detailing of what's affected by the API shutdown
For those not clear on what this is: An API (application programming interface) is how software talks to Web services. This announcement is not directly related to the availability or shutdown of the Google+ website itself, and Google's own Google+ Apps for iOS and Android are likely not affected, though its probably other Google services (say, Blogger integration, as a possiblity) may be.
The key impact is on third-party applications, and some website integration. If you don't use or make these, you're mostly not affected.
The exception is that some G+ archival tools make use of the APIs. These may begin facing challenges by 28 January 2019. Notably, the Friends+Me Google+ Exporter does NOT use APIs and should be unaffected.
Originally shared by Peggy K
Update on the Google+ API for developers and webmasters: shut down March 7, "intermittent failures" as early as January 28
The Google Developer site has been updated with details about the shutdown of the Google+ API. If you aren't a developer, this still may affect you, as website badges and buttons stop working, and social media management services like Buffer and Hootsuite will no longer be able to post to Google+.
As Google+ for consumers will sunset just a month or so later, that's not particularly surprising. But you may want to start updating your website now.
Google+ integrations for web and mobile apps will cease to function March 7, 2019.
* Web integrations, such as Plugins (Google+ +1, sharing, follow buttons; Google+ badges, embedded posts) and Interactive Posts, will stop serving.
* Mobile app integrations, such as +1 buttons, sharing to Google+, and app activities, will cease to function.
Learn more about the Google+ Integrations shutdown:
https://developers.google.com/+/integrations-shutdown
Google+ APIs, including Google+ Sign-in, will be shut down on March 7, 2019. This includes Google+ Sign-in
On or around December 20, 2018, developers should receive an email listing recently used Google+ API methods in their projects. Whether or not an email was received, we strongly encourage developers to search for and remove any dependencies on Google+ APIs from their applications.
Learn More about the API shutdown
https://developers.google.com/+/api-shutdown
This will be a progressive shutdown, with intermittent failures starting as early as January 28, 2019.
I've written up a few more details here:
https://www.peggyktc.com/2018/12/update-on-google-api-for-developers-and.html
https://www.peggyktc.com/2018/12/update-on-google-api-for-developers-and.html
For those not clear on what this is: An API (application programming interface) is how software talks to Web services. This announcement is not directly related to the availability or shutdown of the Google+ website itself, and Google's own Google+ Apps for iOS and Android are likely not affected, though its probably other Google services (say, Blogger integration, as a possiblity) may be.
The key impact is on third-party applications, and some website integration. If you don't use or make these, you're mostly not affected.
The exception is that some G+ archival tools make use of the APIs. These may begin facing challenges by 28 January 2019. Notably, the Friends+Me Google+ Exporter does NOT use APIs and should be unaffected.
Originally shared by Peggy K
Update on the Google+ API for developers and webmasters: shut down March 7, "intermittent failures" as early as January 28
The Google Developer site has been updated with details about the shutdown of the Google+ API. If you aren't a developer, this still may affect you, as website badges and buttons stop working, and social media management services like Buffer and Hootsuite will no longer be able to post to Google+.
As Google+ for consumers will sunset just a month or so later, that's not particularly surprising. But you may want to start updating your website now.
Google+ integrations for web and mobile apps will cease to function March 7, 2019.
* Web integrations, such as Plugins (Google+ +1, sharing, follow buttons; Google+ badges, embedded posts) and Interactive Posts, will stop serving.
* Mobile app integrations, such as +1 buttons, sharing to Google+, and app activities, will cease to function.
Learn more about the Google+ Integrations shutdown:
https://developers.google.com/+/integrations-shutdown
Google+ APIs, including Google+ Sign-in, will be shut down on March 7, 2019. This includes Google+ Sign-in
On or around December 20, 2018, developers should receive an email listing recently used Google+ API methods in their projects. Whether or not an email was received, we strongly encourage developers to search for and remove any dependencies on Google+ APIs from their applications.
Learn More about the API shutdown
https://developers.google.com/+/api-shutdown
This will be a progressive shutdown, with intermittent failures starting as early as January 28, 2019.
I've written up a few more details here:
https://www.peggyktc.com/2018/12/update-on-google-api-for-developers-and.html
https://www.peggyktc.com/2018/12/update-on-google-api-for-developers-and.html
I suspect this is going to take some people by surprise - they may have stopped using Google+ a while ago, but still have various Google+ badges and buttons on their site.
ReplyDeletePeggy K A definite communications and outreach problem, yes.
ReplyDeleteI have all the G+ gadgets and links enabled in blogger.com I'm not yet seeing any warnings within the Blogger settings pages about using these. We don't yet know exactly how Google intends to handle blogger blogs with G+Comments enabled.
ReplyDeleteI hope Google tells the Blogger people what's happening soon.
I had a G+ API project set up. (G+Activities -> Atom feed) and I did get an email about the API changes yesterday.
I actually don't know how people who just have a couple of buttons on their website will find out about this.
ReplyDeleteJulian Bond they'll notice in January when there are suddenly gaps and [ x ] boxes where images shoukd be 😂
ReplyDeleteJulian Bond When they break ;-)
ReplyDeleteWent and had a look at the Blogger productforums. Very, very few posts about the G+ sunset and its effect on blogger.com. And bad information from support volunteers. eg. You can find blogger uploaded photos in the photos tab of your G+ Profile.
ReplyDeleteJulian Bond unfortunately I fear that the majority is never gonna know what hit them.
ReplyDeleteHence why I suggested the Blogger related questions to the questions/feedback document.
The 'learn more' links in the Blogger settings, for instance https://www.blogger.com/go/gpluscommentshelp, are still dead. Even though I reported that several months ago via Feedback.
Just sent the following feedback directly from the Send Feedback option on Blogger.com:
ReplyDelete"What will happen to the Google+ integrations after Google+ shuts down?
When will Blogger users be informed of the upcoming (expedited) Google+ changes?
Specifically, what will happen to all the comments to our blogs that were submitted using the "Use Google+s Comments on this blog" feature?
Finally, why are the 'learn more' links for Google+ related items still broken? I've reported them several months ago, and nothing seems to be done about them."
Last official G+Blogger post 21-Mar-2017
ReplyDeleteLast official Blogger blog post 15-May-2018
Amusingly, https://blogger.googleblog.com/ has a G+ widget in the sidebar.
Julian Bond So much of this feels way too rushed...
ReplyDeleteWhich raises the question. What is the rush?
ReplyDeleteJulian Bond images in your Blogger posts were indeed available on the Photos tab of your Google+ Profile, when Google+ Profiles had a Photos tab, i.e. before Classic Google+ was retired in January 2017.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a Blogger product expert, and from experience, there are very few recent Google+-related questions in the Blogger forums. There have been a few asking about the shut down, but most Blogger users probably unaware.
The good news is that Google+ features built in to Blogger's themes can be updated by Blogger. If a Google+ badge was added using a Blogger Google+ gadget, Blogger can remove that gadget.
It's people who are using 3rd party custom templates or who have manually added a Blogger badge or follow button code who may end up with holes in their layouts.
I think the bigger issue is blogs using the Google+ Commenting system and bloggers using their Google+ Profile identity.
Blogger will hopefully have an update about what's happening with Google+ features soon, but I don't actually expect that to happen until the new year. And possibly not until after Google+ publicly shares more details about the sunsetting timeline.
I also escalated the issue with the Google+ related "Learn more" links, so Blogger is aware. I would guess a fix is extremely low priority, especially now that all those features are probably going to just be removed.
ReplyDeletePeggy K thanks. :) As I suggested in one of my earlier feedback tickets, even just removing the links would be an improvement at this point. Though if there's going to be an announcement about what impact the Google+ shutdown will have, redirecting the relevant links to such an announcement page would probably be a better solution.
ReplyDeletePeggy K And yes, the impact of GPlus's shutdown on Google+ Profile identities will also be interesting, and not just for Blogger.
ReplyDeleteYouTube for instance as well has allowed binding a YouTube channel to a Google+ Page (or Brand Account as they are now called?), rather than a full Google profile, especially during the period where YT was being integrated with G+.
My guess, or rather hope, is that these will continue to serve as login options, but some certainty about that would definitely be nice, especially as my primary YouTube account is connected to my FiXato page.
Filip H.F. Slagter YouTube is pretty completely separated from Google+ now. Your channel no longer uses your Google+ Page identity, it's using the underlying Brand Account identity.
ReplyDeleteThe Brand Account provides the identity for both your YouTube channel and your Google+ Page, but you can delete the Google+ Page or the YouTube channel without affecting the Brand Account itself.
The same way you have a Google account identity, and Google+ is an optional service on that account. If you had a YouTube channel on your main Google account, it would be using the Google, not Google+ identity.
I'm hoping that Blogger does something similar, where there is a transition from Google+ identity to a Google identity (which doesn't require Google+).
Peggy K yeah, that is what I was hoping for, thanks. :) Hadn't noticed yet till now that the last G+ references on YT in the settings have indeed been replaced by brand accounts.
ReplyDelete(On a sidenote, I also just noticed that Google has now explicitly stated that Sub4Sub tactics of increasing YT followers is against the ToS and can result in a Strike against your channel. I bet that's also upsetting a lot of smaller channels. Glad I never engaged in that tactic.)
Wordpress bloggers who comment on Blogger often use a G+ profile, so it will have ripple effects to some WP users too.
ReplyDeleteFilip H.F. Slagter why the rush? There's definitely something they're not telling us...
ReplyDelete