SaaS · archived
Google Reader was shut down
left 1 Jul 2013
Quick answers
- Is it true that Google Reader shutdown?
- Yes — and the date has already passed (1 Jul 2013). Google retired its RSS reader on 1 July 2013, giving users about three and a half months to export their subscriptions via Google Takeout and move to another reader.
- When did it take effect?
- 1 Jul 2013 (already passed). Verified against the vendor's own announcement.
- What should I use instead?
- Export your subscriptions as OPML from Google Takeout and import into another feed reader.
What this means for you
Google retired its RSS reader on 1 July 2013, giving users about three and a half months to export their subscriptions via Google Takeout and move to another reader. It became the defining example of a beloved free product being switched off.
Where to go
Export your subscriptions as OPML from Google Takeout and import into another feed reader.
- Feedly
- The Old Reader
- NewsBlur
- Self-hosted (e.g. FreshRSS, Miniflux)
Announced 13 March 2013 in a broader “spring cleaning” post, Reader’s shutdown is the reason a generation of developers is wary of depending on a free product with no revenue line — and, arguably, why the self-hosted RSS scene exists at all.
Entry changelog
- — last reviewed.
- — Entry created (historical reference).
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[](https://lastcall.dev/entries/google-reader-shutdown)Spot an error or a changed date? Tell us and it’s corrected the same night.