Google to shut one of its lesser known apps this quarter

Google is planning on closing an app that many of you probably never used and perhaps didn't know that it existed. Originally launched in the states early in October, 2019, the Google Shopping app was like having a personal shopper on your phone. Just about every thing you need can be looked up with listings from multiple retailers allowing you to compare pricing. And the app alerts you when an item that you've been searching for goes on sale.

Code recently found on the latest version of the app by XDA tipped them off about the impending move. What XDA found were strings of code that had a prefix containing the word "sunset" and one of the strings told Shopping users to "Shop on the web." Yesterday Google confirmed to 9to5Google that the Shopping app was being 86'd although no condos are being built in its place.

Google Shopping will remain available until sometime in June and we should note that both the Android and iOS versions of the app will have the power cut. Google feels like the app is redundant since the features it offers are available from the shopping tab on other apps. A Google spokesman said, "Within the next few weeks, we’ll no longer be supporting the Shopping app. All of the functionality the app offered users is available on the Shopping tab. We’ll continue building features within the Shopping tab and other Google surfaces, including the Google app, that make it easy for people to discover and shop for the products they love."

For example, let's say that you want to find the best price on Coca-Cola. Opening the Google Search app and searching for the drink will bring up some results. But if you look at the top of the screen, you'll find a "Shopping" tab that you can tap to compare prices. You can also go to shopping.google.com after the app closes, if the mood strikes you.