Google replaces truncated goo.gl links with Firebase Dynamic Links

Google has stopped supporting truncated goo.gl links and replaced them with Firebase Dynamic Links. These are URLs that can send a user to any location within an Android, iOS, or web app. Existing goo.gl links will continue to work.

Google introduced its URL shortening service in 2009. Since then, however, a lot of alternatives have appeared, according to the tech giant, and the way users look up information has also changed significantly, partly due to the advance of smartphones, apps and smart assistants. Google has therefore stopped supporting goo.gl links on March 30 and is replacing them with Firebase Dynamic Links. These are links that can also point to locations within iOS and Android apps and provide personalized capabilities even when users are accessing the app from a mobile site.

In practice, users may not notice much of the transition. Existing goo.gl links continue to redirect to the full URL behind them as usual. In addition, since April 13, 2018, for people who had never used the shortening service before or used it anonymously, it was already impossible to create new shortened URLs via the goo.gl console.