Google+ is officially deleting consumer data starting April 2nd

Last October, Google announced plans to shut down Google+ for consumers after a security flaw exposed users’ profile data. Shortly after, Google+ had another data leak, prompting Google to fast-track the shutdown for its social network, moving the deadline up four months to April 2019. Now, Google has formally released the timeline for how and when Google+ will go away.

As early as February 4th, you will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities, or events. Comments generated by Google+ on external websites will be removed from Blogger by February 4th and from other sites by March 7th. All your website comments made using Google+ will be deleted starting on April 2nd.

On April 2nd, all consumer Google+ content will be deleted (other than Google notes, content that it’s required to keep for legal reasons). This includes photos and videos from Google+ in your Album Archive as well as Google+ pages. If you want to grab your Google+ data before it’s wiped away, we’ve got step-by-step instructions on how to create and download an archive; you can also go to Google’s support page for information. Photos and videos backed up to Google Photos are safe and will not be deleted.

If you have used Google+ to sign into sites and apps, those buttons will stop working soon, but in some cases will be replaced by a Google sign-in button. In these instances, you’ll be able to sign in with your Google account in lieu of Google+.

Google says it will take some time to delete all Google+ data, so portions of your account might still be visible over the next few months. Access to other Google services will not be impacted as part of the Google+ shutdown. If you are a G Suite customer, Google+ for your G Suite account will remain untouched, but expect a new look and additional features soon.

These deadlines are coming up fast, so if you have vested interest in preserving your Google+ history, act now before it disappears forever.