Google Reverses Course: Most goo.gl Short Links to Stay Active
Initially, Google had announced plans to phase out the goo.gl service altogether, citing dwindling usage. "More than 99 percent of the URLs had no activity in the last month," the tech giant said at the time. This announcement sparked concern among users who relied on goo.gl links embedded in countless blogs, documents, social media posts, and videos over the years.
However, following extensive feedback, Google now says it will only deactivate a limited subset of links — specifically those that had already been flagged for deactivation. 'Goo.gl URLS that already show a message saying that they will be deactivated in August will still stop working,' the company clarified.
These specific links were targeted because they "showed no activity in late 2024," and users were notified about the upcoming deactivation nearly nine months ago. In contrast, any goo.gl URL not accompanied by such a deactivation notice will remain operational. 'All other goo.gl links will be preserved and will continue to function as normal,' Google stated in its Friday update.
The goo.gl short link service was officially discontinued in 2019, preventing users from creating new links through the platform. But despite that, existing links remained widely in use, often as integral parts of marketing materials, online publications, academic papers, and legacy content.
Google acknowledged this in its revised announcement: 'We understand these links are embedded in countless documents, videos, posts and more, and we appreciate the input received.'
Jay Peters, the news editor at The Verge covering this update, noted the importance of Google's reversal for users who continue to depend on these legacy URLs. As platforms evolve, decisions that affect older infrastructure can have far-reaching implications — especially when those tools were once foundational to how content was shared online.
This update provides a measure of relief to users and organizations that would have otherwise faced broken links and disrupted user experiences. Google's move reflects an effort to balance modernization with the realities of long-standing digital footprints.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Elon Musk's latest shocker to Google and OpenAI with Text-to-Video feature on Grok, but with a twist; only THESE users will have access
New Delhi: Elon Musk has added a new Text-to-Video feature to GrokAI. This feature of Grok AI will create videos based on text commands. It will give tough competition to the text-to-video generation of Google's Veo3 and OpenAI's Elon Musk has named this feature Imagine. As the name suggests, this feature will work to generate videos based on your imagination. How did Musk share this information? Elon Musk has given this information from his X handle. Musk said in his post that users will be able to use this new Imagine feature by updating their X app. However, users will be kept on the waitlist for the Grok Imagine feature. This Imagine feature of Grok will generate excellent videos through text commands. This feature will work on Grok's latest large language model. Update your app and request to be on the waitlist for @Grok Imagine — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 2, 2025 What is the controversy over Imagine? Like Gemini Veo3 and Sora, videos can be generated in it based on text prompts. However, a new spicy mode will be given in GrokAI's Imagine. In this, users will be able to create a 6-second video clip. However, controversy has also come up regarding this feature. Many users say that obscenity will be promoted through this feature. Who will get access to Imagine? X Premium users will currently be given beta access to the GrokAI Imagine feature. However, the company will choose selected users for this. Those who are heavy users of Grok AI will be given beta access to beta Imagine first. Apart from this, Valentine mode has also been added to GrokAI. Beta access to this feature has also been given to premium users. Valentine mode has an imaginary character, with whom users can interact and share their heart. It will work like a digital friend for the users.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Godfather Of AI Warns Technology Could Invent Its Own Language: 'It Gets Scary...'
Geoffrey Hinton, regarded by many as the 'godfather of artificial intelligence' (AI), has warned that the technology could get out of hand if chatbots manage to develop their language. Currently, AI does its thinking in English, allowing developers to track what the technology is thinking, but there could come a point where humans might not understand what AI is planning to do, as per Mr Hinton. "Now it gets more scary if they develop their own internal languages for talking to each other," he said on an episode of the "One Decision" podcast that aired last month. "I wouldn't be surprised if they developed their own language for thinking, and we have no idea what they're thinking." Mr Hinton added that AI has already demonstrated that it can think terrible thoughts, and it is not unthinkable that the machines could eventually think in ways that humans cannot track or interpret. Warning about AI Mr Hinton laid the foundations for machine learning that is powering today's AI-based products and applications. However, the Nobel laureate grew wary of AI's future development and cut ties with his employer, Google, in order to speak more freely on the issue. "It will be comparable with the industrial revolution. But instead of exceeding people in physical strength, it's going to exceed people in intellectual ability. We have no experience of what it's like to have things smarter than us," said Mr Hinton at the time. "I am worried that the overall consequence of this might be systems more intelligent than us that eventually take control." Mr Hinton has been a big advocate of government regulation for the technology, especially given the unprecedented pace of development. His warning also comes in the backdrop of repeated instances of AI chatbots hallucinating thoughts. In April, OpenAI's internal tests revealed that its o3 and o4-mini AI models were hallucinating or making things up much more frequently than even the non-reasoning models, such as GPT-4o. The company said it did not have any idea why this was happening. In a technical report, OpenAI said, "more research is needed" to understand why hallucinations are getting worse as it scales up its reasoning models.
Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Economic Times
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold: Date, price, features, camera, specifications and everything you need to know
Synopsis Google is anticipated to launch the Pixel 10 series, including the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, in India on August 20, 2025. Rumored to start at ₹1,79,999, the foldable aims to rival Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7. Leaks suggest a refined design with slimmer bezels, a triple rear camera setup, and Google's Tensor G5 processor. It may feature a 6. Agencies The launch of the Google Pixel 10 series is just around the corner, featuring four models — Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the top-tier foldable, Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Positioned to rival the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is expected to bring premium features to the foldable space. Here's a glimpse into its leaked specs, design, and other Pixel 10 series is set to launch globally and in India on August 20, 2025, with sales expected to begin soon after. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is rumored to debut in India at a starting price of ₹1,79,999. However, leaks suggest that its features may not fully justify the premium price tag — expectations are high that the device will deliver accordingly. Leaked details indicate the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will sport a refined design with slimmer bezels on the outer display compared to the previous generation, though no major design overhaul is the camera department, the phone is likely to include a triple rear camera setup: a 48MP main sensor, a 10.5MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. The front and cover displays will reportedly feature 10MP cameras foldable is expected to come with a 6.4-inch main display boasting a 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, it could run on Google's new Tensor G5 processor, paired with up to 16GB RAM and up to 1TB internal storage. Powering the device will be a 5015mAh battery with both fast wired and wireless charging support.
