Google today announced that it will be getting rid of the “classic” user interface for its Google+ social network.
Google redesigned the service in 2015 with the launch of Communities and Collections, but since then there has always been a way to go back to the “classic” mode: a link in the bottom left corner that says “Back to classic Google+.” Starting on January 24, though, people won’t be able to go back anymore.
Now when you click the link to go back, Google shows a pop-up saying, “Heads up! Classic Google+ is going away soon, but you’ll still find all of your stuff on the shiny new Google+.” And when you log on to the old Google+, a pop-up says, “The version you’re using will be replaced soon. Click here to switch to the new Google+.” After you say OK to that, you see a similar message in a banner at the top of the feed.
In announcing the news in a blog post today, Google+ product manager Danielle Buckley put it in the context of new features appearing on the social network, like hiding less important comments and letting users zoom in on images on the web version of Google+.
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“With this latest round of updates, we believe the new Google+ is really your Google+ — designed around your suggestions, requests and needs,” Buckley wrote. Also, the Events feature from the old Google+ will appear in the new version starting on January 24.
As a whole, though, Google has been de-emphasizing Google+.
Facebook, meanwhile, said in November that it had 1.79 billion monthly active users in the third quarter of 2016.
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