<s>
Google+	B-Application
(	O
sometimes	O
written	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Plus	I-Application
;	O
sometimes	O
called	O
G+	B-Application
)	O
was	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
owned	O
and	O
operated	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
network	O
was	O
launched	O
on	O
June	O
28	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
challenge	O
other	O
social	O
networks	O
,	O
linking	O
other	O
Google	B-Application
products	I-Application
like	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
Blogger	B-Application
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
fourth	O
foray	O
into	O
social	O
networking	O
,	O
experienced	O
strong	O
growth	O
in	O
its	O
initial	O
years	O
,	O
although	O
usage	O
statistics	O
varied	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
how	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
defined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
Google	B-Application
executives	O
oversaw	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
which	O
underwent	O
substantial	O
changes	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
redesign	O
in	O
November	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
low	O
user	O
engagement	O
and	O
disclosed	O
software	O
design	O
flaws	O
that	O
potentially	O
allowed	O
outside	O
developers	O
access	O
to	O
personal	O
information	O
of	O
its	O
users	O
,	O
the	O
Google+	B-Application
developer	O
API	B-Application
was	O
discontinued	O
on	O
March	O
7	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
Google+	B-Application
was	O
shut	O
down	O
for	O
business	O
and	O
personal	O
use	O
on	O
April	O
2	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
was	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
fourth	O
foray	O
into	O
social	O
networking	O
,	O
following	O
Google	B-Application
Buzz	I-Application
(	O
introduced	O
2010	O
,	O
retired	O
in	O
2011	O
)	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Friend	O
Connect	O
(	O
introduced	O
2008	O
,	O
retired	O
by	O
March	O
2012	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Orkut	B-Application
(	O
introduced	O
in	O
2004	O
,	O
operated	O
entirely	O
by	O
subsidiary	O
Google	B-Application
Brazil	O
–	O
retired	O
in	O
September	O
2014	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
June	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Features	O
included	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
post	O
photos	O
and	O
status	O
updates	O
to	O
the	O
stream	O
or	O
interest-based	O
communities	O
,	O
group	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
relationships	O
(	O
rather	O
than	O
simply	O
"	O
friends	O
"	O
)	O
into	O
Circles	O
,	O
a	O
multi-person	O
instant	O
messaging	O
,	O
text	O
and	O
video	O
chat	O
called	O
Hangouts	B-Protocol
,	O
events	O
,	O
location	O
tagging	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
edit	O
and	O
upload	O
photos	O
to	O
private	O
cloud-based	O
albums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
2016	O
book	O
by	O
a	O
former	O
Facebook	O
employee	O
,	O
some	O
leaders	O
at	O
Facebook	O
saw	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
foray	O
into	O
social	O
networking	O
as	O
a	O
serious	O
threat	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	O
founder	O
Mark	O
Zuckerberg	O
instituted	O
a	O
company-wide	O
"	O
lockdown	O
"	O
,	O
signaling	O
that	O
employees	O
were	O
supposed	O
to	O
dedicate	O
time	O
to	O
bringing	O
Facebook	O
's	O
features	O
into	O
line	O
with	O
Google+	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assessments	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
growth	O
varied	O
widely	O
,	O
because	O
Google	B-Application
first	O
defined	O
the	O
service	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
,	O
then	O
later	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
social	O
layer	O
across	O
all	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
services	O
"	O
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
share	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
identity	O
and	O
interests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
signups	O
were	O
"	O
often	O
just	O
an	O
incidental	O
byproduct	O
of	O
signing	O
up	O
for	O
other	O
Google	O
services.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
had	O
10	O
million	O
users	O
two	O
weeks	O
after	O
the	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2011	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
had	O
90	O
million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
approximately	O
540	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
used	O
the	O
social	O
layer	O
by	O
interacting	O
with	O
Google+'s	O
enhanced	O
properties	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Gmail	B-Application
,	O
the	O
+1	O
button	O
,	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+'s	O
user	O
engagement	O
was	O
lower	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
its	O
competitors	O
;	O
ComScore	O
estimated	O
that	O
the	O
average	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
spent	O
by	O
users	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
during	O
the	O
month	O
of	O
January	O
2012	O
amounted	O
to	O
only	O
3.3minutes	O
,	O
while	O
on	O
Facebook	O
this	O
metric	O
was	O
over	O
136	O
times	O
greater	O
,	O
at	O
7.5hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
likened	O
Google+	B-Application
to	O
a	O
ghost	B-Application
town	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
stated	O
540	O
million	O
"	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
"	O
and	O
noting	O
that	O
almost	O
half	O
did	O
not	O
visit	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
replied	O
that	O
the	O
significance	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
was	O
less	O
as	O
a	O
Facebook	O
competitor	O
than	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
of	O
gathering	O
and	O
connecting	O
user	O
information	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
various	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
Vic	O
Gundotra	O
,	O
the	O
executive	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
,	O
departed	O
the	O
company	O
with	O
management	O
responsibility	O
going	O
to	O
David	O
Besbris	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
March	O
2015	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
executive	O
Bradley	O
Horowitz	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
co-founded	O
Google+	B-Application
with	O
Gundotra	O
,	O
had	O
replaced	O
Besbris	O
,	O
becoming	O
vice	O
president	O
of	O
streams	O
,	O
photos	O
,	O
and	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Steven	O
Levy	O
published	O
on	O
May	O
28	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Horowitz	O
said	O
that	O
Google+	B-Application
was	O
about	O
to	O
undergo	O
a	O
"	O
huge	O
shift	O
"	O
that	O
would	O
better	O
reflect	O
how	O
the	O
service	O
is	O
actually	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
two	O
core	O
Google+	B-Application
functions	O
,	O
communications	O
and	O
photos	O
,	O
had	O
become	O
standalone	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
photo	O
and	O
video	O
library	O
,	O
was	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
May	O
2015	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Protocol
Hangouts	I-Protocol
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
communications	O
platform	O
,	O
was	O
announced	O
two	O
years	O
earlier	O
,	O
also	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
subsequently	O
refocused	O
Google+	B-Application
on	O
shared	O
interests	O
,	O
removing	O
features	O
not	O
supporting	O
"	O
an	O
interest-based	O
social	O
experience	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
eliminated	O
the	O
Google+	B-Application
social	O
layer	O
;	O
users	O
no	O
longer	O
needed	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
profile	O
to	O
share	O
content	O
and	O
communicate	O
with	O
contacts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
transition	O
began	O
with	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
where	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
profile	O
was	O
no	O
longer	O
required	O
to	O
create	O
,	O
upload	O
,	O
or	O
comment	O
on	O
a	O
channel	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
page	O
was	O
instead	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
comments	O
no	O
longer	O
appeared	O
on	O
Google+	B-Application
or	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
18	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
underwent	O
a	O
redesign	O
with	O
the	O
stated	O
intent	O
of	O
making	O
the	O
site	O
simpler	O
and	O
faster	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
of	O
Communities	O
and	O
Collections	O
more	O
prominent	O
,	O
and	O
removing	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
Hangouts	B-Protocol
integration	O
,	O
Events	O
and	O
Custom	O
URLs	O
,	O
though	O
Events	O
and	O
Custom	O
URLs	O
were	O
eventually	O
added	O
back	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
ending	O
the	O
consumer	O
version	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
later	O
changing	O
that	O
date	O
to	O
April	O
2	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
cited	O
low	O
user	O
engagement	O
and	O
difficulties	O
in	O
"	O
creating	O
and	O
maintaining	O
a	O
successful	O
Google+	B-Application
that	O
meets	O
consumers	O
 '	O
expectations	O
"	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
90%	O
of	O
user	O
sessions	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
lasted	O
less	O
than	O
five	O
seconds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
acknowledged	O
a	O
design	O
flaw	O
in	O
an	O
API	B-Application
that	O
could	O
expose	O
private	O
user	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
said	O
it	O
found	O
no	O
evidence	O
that	O
"	O
any	O
developer	O
was	O
aware	O
of	O
this	O
bug	O
,	O
or	O
abusing	O
the	O
API	B-Application
"	O
or	O
that	O
"	O
any	O
Profile	O
data	O
was	O
misused.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
newspaper	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
move	O
effectively	O
puts	O
the	O
final	O
nail	O
in	O
the	O
coffin	O
of	O
a	O
product	O
that	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2011	O
to	O
challenge	O
Facebook	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
widely	O
seen	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
biggest	O
failures.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
10	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
reported	O
that	O
a	O
subsequent	O
Google+	B-Application
API	B-Application
update	O
exposed	O
customer	O
data	O
for	O
six	O
days	O
before	O
being	O
discovered	O
,	O
again	O
saying	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
evidence	O
of	O
any	O
breach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
moved	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
shutdown	O
date	O
to	O
April	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
it	O
would	O
"	O
sunset	O
all	O
Google+	B-Application
APIs	B-Application
in	O
the	O
next	O
90	O
days.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
its	O
business-oriented	O
G	B-Application
Suite	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
replaced	O
Google+	B-Application
with	O
a	O
similar	O
product	O
called	O
Currents	B-Application
,	O
which	O
facilitates	O
internal	O
communications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
Google+	O
closure	O
,	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
soft	O
launched	O
an	O
experimental	O
social	O
networking	O
platform	O
called	O
Shoelace	B-Application
,	O
oriented	O
toward	O
organizing	O
local	O
activities	O
and	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
,	O
Shoelace	B-Application
shut	O
down	O
on	O
May	O
12	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
5	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Currents	B-Application
is	O
replacing	O
Google+	B-Application
for	O
all	O
G	B-Application
Suite	I-Application
customers	O
on	O
July	O
6	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
10	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
planning	O
to	O
"	O
wind	O
down	O
"	O
Currents	B-Application
and	O
transition	O
its	O
users	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
in	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+'s	O
user	O
base	O
was	O
roughly	O
60%	O
male	O
and	O
25%	O
female	O
in	O
November	O
2013	O
,	O
and	O
15%	O
"	O
other	O
"	O
or	O
unknown	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
adopters	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
in	O
mid-2011	O
were	O
mostly	O
male	O
(	O
71.24	O
%	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
dominant	O
age	O
bracket	O
(	O
35%	O
)	O
was	O
between	O
25	O
and	O
34	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
August	O
2011	O
survey	O
estimated	O
that	O
13%	O
of	O
U.S.	O
adults	O
had	O
joined	O
Google+	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Google+	B-Application
user	O
profile	O
was	O
a	O
publicly	O
visible	O
account	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
that	O
was	O
attached	O
to	O
many	O
Google	B-Application
properties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
area	O
was	O
used	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Authorship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
removed	O
author	O
photos	O
from	O
search	O
results	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
August	O
2014	O
Google	B-Application
stopped	O
showing	O
authorship	O
in	O
search	O
results	O
,	O
both	O
photo	O
and	O
author	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
enabled	O
users	O
to	O
organize	O
people	O
into	O
groups	O
or	O
lists	O
for	O
sharing	O
across	O
various	B-Application
Google	I-Application
products	I-Application
and	I-Application
services	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
a	O
circle	O
was	O
created	O
,	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
user	O
could	O
share	O
specific	O
private	O
content	O
to	O
only	O
that	O
circle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
November	O
2011	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
profiles	O
were	O
used	O
as	O
the	O
background	O
account	O
for	O
many	O
Google	B-Application
services	I-Application
including	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
Gmail	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Maps	O
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Play	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Music	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Voice	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Wallet	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Local	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
10	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Search	I-Application
was	O
customized	O
with	O
a	O
feature	O
called	O
Search	O
Plus	O
Your	O
World	O
,	O
which	O
inserted	O
content	O
shared	O
on	O
Google+	B-Application
profiles	O
and	O
brand	O
pages	O
under	O
Web	O
Search	O
results	O
,	O
if	O
one	O
was	O
logged	O
into	O
one	O
's	O
Google+	B-Application
account	O
while	O
using	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
opt-in	O
,	O
was	O
received	O
with	O
controversy	O
over	O
the	O
emphasis	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
profiles	O
over	O
other	O
social	O
networking	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
built	O
upon	O
the	O
earlier	O
"	O
Social	O
Search	O
"	O
feature	O
which	O
indexes	O
content	O
shared	O
or	O
published	O
by	O
authors	O
;	O
"	O
Social	O
Search	O
"	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
relied	O
partly	O
upon	O
returns	O
from	O
non-Google	O
services	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Twitter	B-Application
and	O
Flickr	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
July	O
2011	O
,	O
tweets	O
were	O
no	O
longer	O
shown	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
expiration	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
contract	O
with	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
featured	O
a	O
"	O
+1	O
button	O
"	O
which	O
allowed	O
people	O
to	O
recommend	O
sites	O
and	O
posts	O
,	O
similar	O
in	O
use	O
to	O
Facebook	O
's	O
Like	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
Pages	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
7	O
,	O
2011	O
to	O
all	O
users	O
,	O
allowing	O
businesses	O
to	O
connect	O
with	O
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
Badges	O
was	O
quietly	O
introduced	O
to	O
select	O
enterprises	O
beginning	O
on	O
November	O
9	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
and	O
officially	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
on	O
November	O
16	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
officially	O
treated	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
as	O
a	O
replacement	O
for	O
the	O
older	O
Google	B-Application
Friend	O
Connect	O
and	O
its	O
widgets	O
,	O
and	O
GFC	O
was	O
announced	O
by	O
Senior	O
Vice	O
President	O
of	O
Operations	O
Urs	O
Hölzle	O
on	O
November	O
23	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
as	O
scheduled	O
to	O
be	O
retired	O
by	O
March	O
12	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
on	O
all	O
non-Blogger	O
sites	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
Page	O
Badges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
Views	O
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
Communities	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
Google+	B-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
November	O
2015	O
redesign	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
added	O
back	O
in	O
a	O
different	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Discover	O
page	O
showed	O
trending	O
posts	O
and	O
articles	O
on	O
Google+	B-Application
and	O
around	O
the	O
web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
11	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
combined	O
Google	B-Application
Places	O
and	O
Google+	B-Application
Local	O
Business	O
Pages	O
with	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
My	O
Business	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
product	O
used	O
the	O
interface	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
but	O
had	O
many	O
more	O
features	O
,	O
including	O
insights	O
and	O
analytics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
30	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Places	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
Google+	B-Application
Local	O
,	O
which	O
integrated	O
directly	O
with	O
the	O
Google+	B-Application
service	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
post	O
photos	O
and	O
reviews	O
of	O
locations	O
directly	O
to	O
its	O
page	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
Local	O
and	O
Maps	O
featured	O
detailed	O
reviews	O
and	O
ratings	O
from	O
Zagat	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
in	O
September	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
Creative	O
Kit	O
was	O
an	O
online	O
photo	O
editor	O
integrated	O
to	O
Google+	B-Application
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Picnik	B-Application
,	O
integrated	O
earlier	O
to	O
Picasa	B-Algorithm
Web	I-Algorithm
Albums	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
Google+	B-Application
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Auto	O
Awesome	O
:	O
Released	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
in	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
feature	O
applied	O
special	O
effects	O
,	O
manually	O
(	O
with	O
Android	B-Application
)	O
or	O
automatically	O
,	O
often	O
using	O
multiple	O
sequential	O
shots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Effects	O
included	O
composite	O
motion	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
image	O
,	O
short	O
animation	O
,	O
photo	B-Application
booth	I-Application
style	O
,	O
and	O
high-dynamic	B-Device
range	I-Device
rendering	I-Device
(	O
HDR	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Auto	O
Enhance	O
:	O
With	O
Auto	O
Enhance	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
made	O
subtle	O
adjustments	O
to	O
hypothetically	O
improve	O
photos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google+	B-Application
Auto-Backup	O
:	O
A	O
desktop	O
utility	O
that	O
imported	O
a	O
large	O
collection	O
of	O
photos	O
and	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Takeout	O
provided	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
download	O
one	O
's	O
content	O
from	O
Google+	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hashtags	O
,	O
where	O
"	O
#	O
"	O
is	O
written	O
before	O
a	O
word	O
or	O
CamelCase	O
,	O
were	O
hyperlinked	O
to	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
or	O
highest-trending	O
search	O
results	O
within	O
Google+	B-Application
containing	O
the	O
term	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
which	O
gained	O
notoriety	O
as	O
a	O
microblogging	O
practice	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
was	O
implemented	O
as	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
feature	O
on	O
October	O
12	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
lifetime	O
of	O
Google+	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
added	O
and	O
made	O
changes	O
to	O
many	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
released	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
changes	O
and	O
additions	O
to	O
Google+	B-Application
mobile	O
which	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
determined	O
whether	O
a	O
particular	O
profile	O
warranted	O
verification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2015	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
launched	O
the	O
“	O
Collections	O
”	O
feature	O
which	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
Pinterest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Search	O
in	O
Google+	B-Application
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
content	O
within	O
Google+	B-Application
and	O
around	O
the	O
web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
typed	O
what	O
they	O
were	O
looking	O
for	O
into	O
the	O
Google+	O
search	O
box	O
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
returned	O
relevant	O
people	O
and	O
posts	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
popular	O
content	O
from	O
around	O
the	O
web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messenger	O
,	O
also	O
called	O
Huddle	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
feature	O
available	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
and	O
SMS	B-Device
devices	O
for	O
communicating	O
through	O
instant	O
messaging	O
within	O
Circles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
was	O
removed	O
in	O
August	O
2013	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
superseded	O
by	O
Hangouts	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sparks	O
was	O
a	O
front-end	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Search	I-Application
,	O
enabling	O
users	O
to	O
identify	O
topics	O
they	O
might	O
be	O
interested	O
in	O
sharing	O
with	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
had	O
16	O
games	O
when	O
Google+	B-Application
launched	O
on	O
August	O
11	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
which	O
expanded	O
to	O
44	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
April	O
2013	O
there	O
were	O
38	O
since	O
some	O
games	O
were	O
removed	O
by	O
the	O
owner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Facebook	O
games	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
games	O
were	O
located	O
under	O
a	O
games	O
tab	O
,	O
which	O
gave	O
games	O
less	O
visibility	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
separate	O
notifications	O
from	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
notifications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
games	O
were	O
removed	O
from	O
Google+	B-Application
in	O
June	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hangouts	B-Protocol
,	O
the	O
feature	O
that	O
enabled	O
users	O
to	O
chat	O
,	O
voice	O
,	O
and	O
video	O
conference	O
between	O
users	O
,	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
Google+	B-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
November	O
2015	O
redesign	O
and	O
made	O
accessible	O
through	O
its	O
own	O
Hangouts	B-Protocol
homepage	O
and	O
mobile	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hangouts	B-Protocol
on	O
Air	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
September	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
live	O
streaming	O
service	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
Live	O
starting	O
September	O
12	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
What	O
's	O
Hot	O
,	O
introduced	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
stream	O
showing	O
what	O
Google+	B-Application
users	O
had	O
commented	O
,	O
shared	O
and	O
interacted	O
with	O
the	O
most	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
"	O
Trending	O
Topics	O
"	O
On	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photos	O
was	O
a	O
suite	O
of	O
features	O
which	O
provided	O
photo	O
backup	O
and	O
editing	O
,	O
removed	O
in	O
2015	O
and	O
replaced	O
with	O
a	O
separate	O
product	O
called	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Joseph	O
Smarr	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Google+	B-Application
team	O
's	O
technical	O
leads	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
was	O
a	O
typical	O
Google	B-Application
web	I-Application
application	O
:	O
it	O
used	O
Java	B-Application
servlets	I-Application
for	O
the	O
server	O
code	O
and	O
JavaScript	B-Language
for	O
the	O
browser-side	O
of	O
the	O
UI	O
,	O
largely	O
built	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
Closure	B-Language
framework	I-Language
,	O
including	O
the	O
JavaScript	B-Language
compiler	O
and	O
the	O
template	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
used	O
the	O
HTML5	B-Application
History	O
API	B-Application
to	O
maintain	O
good-looking	O
URLs	O
in	O
modern	O
browsers	O
despite	O
the	O
AJAX	B-Device
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
fast	O
response	O
times	O
Google	B-Application
often	O
rendered	O
the	O
Closure	O
templates	O
on	O
the	O
server	O
side	O
before	O
any	O
JavaScript	B-Language
was	O
loaded	O
;	O
then	O
the	O
JavaScript	B-Language
found	O
the	O
right	O
DOM	B-General_Concept
nodes	O
,	O
hooked	O
up	O
event	O
handlers	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
back	O
ends	O
were	O
built	O
mostly	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
Bigtable	B-Application
and	O
Colossus/GFS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
common	O
Google	B-Application
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
MapReduce	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
day	O
of	O
the	O
website	O
's	O
launch	O
,	O
various	O
news	O
agencies	O
reported	O
that	O
Google+	B-Application
was	O
blocked	O
by	O
the	O
People	O
's	O
Republic	O
of	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
remained	O
unavailable	O
in	O
mainland	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Iranian	O
government	O
had	O
also	O
blocked	O
access	O
to	O
Google+	B-Application
from	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Internet	O
censorship	O
in	O
Iran	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
20	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Internet	O
users	O
from	O
China	O
realized	O
that	O
state	O
restrictions	O
on	O
Google+	B-Application
had	O
been	O
relaxed	O
for	O
unknown	O
reasons	O
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
post	O
on	O
Google+	B-Application
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
Chinese	O
users	O
began	O
to	O
inundate	O
the	O
official	O
election	O
campaign	O
pages	O
of	O
U.S.	O
president	O
Barack	O
Obama	O
on	O
Google+	B-Application
with	O
often	O
off-topic	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2011	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
required	O
users	O
to	O
identify	O
themselves	O
using	O
their	O
real	O
names	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
accounts	O
were	O
suspended	O
when	O
this	O
requirement	O
was	O
not	O
met	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
VP	O
Bradley	O
Horowitz	O
stated	O
that	O
a	O
violation	O
of	O
the	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
would	O
only	O
affect	O
offenders	O
 '	O
access	O
to	O
Google+	B-Application
and	O
not	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
services	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
provided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
early	O
reports	O
of	O
account	O
holders	O
being	O
temporarily	O
locked	O
out	O
of	O
all	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
services	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
19	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
Web	O
2.0	O
Summit	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
executive	O
Vic	O
Gundotra	O
revealed	O
that	O
Google+	B-Application
would	O
begin	O
supporting	O
pseudonyms	O
and	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
identity	O
"	O
within	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
on	O
January	O
23	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Google+	B-Application
began	O
allowing	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
established	O
pseudonyms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2014	O
,	O
Google+'s	O
policy	O
was	O
changed	O
to	O
allow	O
any	O
name	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
6	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
popular	O
video-hosting	O
site	O
,	O
began	O
requiring	O
that	O
commenting	O
on	O
its	O
videos	O
be	O
done	O
via	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
account	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
impossible	O
to	O
reply	O
to	O
pre-Google	O
+	O
integrated	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
said	O
that	O
its	O
new	O
commenting	O
system	O
featured	O
improved	O
tools	O
for	O
moderation	O
,	O
and	O
comments	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
shown	O
chronologically	O
with	O
two	O
top	O
comments	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
when	O
applicable	O
,	O
but	O
would	O
be	O
featured	O
according	O
to	O
"	O
relevance	O
"	O
and	O
popularity	O
,	O
determined	O
by	O
the	O
commenters	O
 '	O
community	O
engagement	O
,	O
reputation	O
,	O
and	O
up-votes	O
for	O
a	O
particular	O
comment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
commenters	O
and	O
content	O
creators	O
complained	O
that	O
the	O
Google+	O
requirement	O
that	O
users	O
use	O
their	O
real	O
name	O
created	O
online	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
co-founder	O
Jawed	O
Karim	O
voiced	O
his	O
disapproval	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
a	O
few	O
comments	O
subsequent	O
to	O
the	O
change	O
including	O
the	O
temporary	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
following	O
comments	O
,	O
"	O
Why	O
the	O
fuck	O
do	O
I	O
need	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
account	O
to	O
comment	O
on	O
a	O
video	O
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
"	O
I	O
ca	O
n't	O
comment	O
here	O
anymore	O
,	O
since	O
I	O
do	O
n't	O
want	O
a	O
google+	B-Application
account	O
"	O
to	O
the	O
description	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
ever	O
public	O
video	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thousands	O
of	O
commenters	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
pasted	O
text	O
art	O
tanks	O
and	O
stick	O
figures	O
called	O
"	O
Bob	O
"	O
to	O
protest	O
the	O
new	O
commenting	O
system	O
and	O
Google+	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Supporters	O
of	O
the	O
changes	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
positive	O
step	O
at	O
cleaning	O
up	O
the	O
"	O
virtual	O
cesspool	O
"	O
of	O
homophobic	O
,	O
racist	O
,	O
sexist	O
and	O
offensive	O
comments	O
found	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
this	O
actually	O
increased	O
the	O
spam	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
fixing	O
the	O
issue	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
took	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
strike	O
back	O
against	O
those	O
posting	O
"	O
Bob	O
"	O
ASCII	O
art	O
in	O
protest	O
at	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
actions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
27	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
integration	O
with	O
Google+	B-Application
would	O
be	O
discontinued	O
and	O
that	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
would	O
require	O
only	O
a	O
Google+	B-Application
page	O
to	O
use	O
all	O
the	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
uploading	O
videos	O
and	O
posting	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
had	O
these	O
changes	O
rolled	O
out	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
several	O
months	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
comments	O
feature	O
already	O
having	O
an	O
update	O
directly	O
after	O
the	O
announcement	O
:	O
comments	O
only	O
appeared	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
and	O
were	O
no	O
longer	O
shared	O
to	O
the	O
social	O
network	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2018	O
,	O
a	O
class-action	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
filed	O
against	O
Google	B-Application
,	I-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
and	O
Alphabet	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
due	O
to	O
"	O
non-public	O
"	O
Google+	B-Application
account	O
data	O
being	O
exposed	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
a	O
privacy	O
bug	O
that	O
allowed	O
app	O
developers	O
to	O
gain	O
access	O
to	O
private	O
information	O
of	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2013	O
film	O
The	O
Internship	O
makes	O
many	O
references	O
to	O
Google+	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
the	O
comedy	O
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Shawn	O
Levy	O
and	O
stars	O
Owen	O
Wilson	O
and	O
Vince	O
Vaughn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Musician	O
Emma	O
Blackery	O
made	O
a	O
November	O
2013	O
song	O
criticizing	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
integration	O
with	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
