Starting June 30, Google will shut down the Tenor API for external GIF services

• As of June 30, 2026, Google will discontinue the Tenor API for third-party integrations
• Platforms on the X and Discord side will have to switch their GIF services to alternatives such as Klipy or Giphy
• The Tenor website will continue to work, but the GIFs available through it may change

For details on the decision, see Ars Technica and The Verge.

Google is shutting down the Tenor API: starting June 30, 2026, the service will no longer be available for third-party integrations. As for what will happen next, the company says that access to the API will be deactivated after the deadline.

Tenor is a platform for searching GIFs with keywords. Its API previously powered X/Twitter and Discord’s GIF services, meaning that when you used the Tenor search, it was pulling GIFs from Tenor’s database.

Google says it will begin rolling out new API terms starting June 13. After June 30, the API will be shut down, and companies that use it will have to switch over.

As the company explains, Google is removing “access to the Tenor API” to address the development of third-party GIF products. The material notes that Tenor is still available as a service within Google’s own ecosystems, namely in Google Messages and Gboard.

For platforms that relied on the Tenor API, the switch to alternative GIF services is now inevitable. In particular, X will change its GIF search, Discord will switch from Giphy to Klipy, and WhatsApp will, going forward, use Tenor’s search results via Klipy. The material also adds that Bluesky and WhatsApp will source GIFs from Klipy.

For users, this should mean only one thing: a change in the set of GIFs available, depending on which services replace Tenor’s API.

Tags: Technology/Devices