Google Reader, a feed-reading platform launched by Google in October 2005, will be permanently shutting down this summer due to declining usage, the company announced on Wednesday.
"There are two simple reasons for this," Adam Green, a Google software engineer, explained. "Usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience."
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Google Reader will be no more starting July 1, giving users over three months to find a new RSS reader to aggregate headlines into one constantly-updating feed.
In an effort to make the transition as smooth as possible, the tech giant is directing anyone interested in retaining their subscriptions and other data to Google Takeout. The data liberation platform will guide users through the process of escaping Google Reader with all of their accumulated data in tact.
The elimination of Google Reader is part of a much larger Google "spring cleaning," which began in 2011 and has resulted in 70 features or services being shut down to date.
Google Cloud Connect, a plug-in that automatically saved Microsoft Office files from Windows PCs in Google Drive, and Google Building Maker, a service that helped users make three-dimensional building models for Google Earth and Maps, are also on the chopping block.