Google ends Tenor API, pushing GIF searches to new services
Google has shut down third-party access to Tenor’s GIF API, forcing platforms including X and Discord to switch providers.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Google has discontinued third-party access to the Tenor API, a change that affects GIF search and sharing inside apps and websites including X, Discord and others. The move matters because many users encountered Tenor through built-in GIF pickers without knowing that a Google-owned service powered the results, according to Ars Technica.
The shutdown took effect June 30, 2026, after Google said in January that it would stop taking new Tenor API integrations and wind down existing access, Ars Technica reported. Google said on a support page that it made the decision as part of “an ongoing effort to focus resources on enhancing our core products.”
Tenor is a searchable GIF service that began as an independent company before Google bought it in 2018, according to Ars Technica. After the acquisition, Google kept the service running and used it in products such as Gboard and Google Messages, while also making its API available to outside platforms.
Tenor remains available inside Google products
The end of the API does not mean Tenor has disappeared. Ars Technica reported that Tenor’s website remains available for GIF search, and Google apps still use Tenor for animated images.
The change hits third-party platforms that used Tenor to let people search for, share and save GIFs inside their own services. Ars Technica reported that users on affected platforms may also lose access to saved favorite GIFs tied to those Tenor integrations.
Several services have already shifted to other GIF providers. Nikita Bier of X said on June 20 that X had moved away from Tenor, according to Ars Technica. Discord has tested Giphy and Klipy, with many users now seeing Klipy results, Ars Technica reported.
WhatsApp and Bluesky also appear to be moving toward Klipy for GIF search, according to Ars Technica. That means users may see a different catalog of GIFs than they saw through Tenor, and Ars Technica reported that some users have complained about the changed selection.
Klipy gains attention after Tenor cutoff
Klipy has a direct link to Tenor’s history. Ars Technica reported that Frank Nawabi, Tenor’s founder, is among the people behind Klipy after selling Tenor to Google.
Klipy recently raised $3.8 million, according to Ars Technica. Google was among the investors in that funding round, Ars Technica reported.
Google’s decision leaves Tenor serving Google’s own apps and website while other platforms replace a tool that had become part of everyday messaging. For users, the most visible result is a changed GIF picker and, on some services, a changed set of saved or suggested animated images.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.