#appdeath — Public Fediverse posts

TechCrunch: As TV-tracking app TV Time shuts down, its founder builds Bingers, a new home for fans. “Bingers will offer TV Time’s existing users a potential lifeline soon after the original app disappears from the app stores. It also gives the existing social community another place to go to continue discussing TV episodes, something that not all TV show tracking apps offer.”

Auto Evolution: Google Removes Google Earth Pro Desktop Download Links, Get It While You Still Can. “While the company hasn’t revealed any usage stats, it’s believed the number of users running Google Earth Pro on the desktop has declined significantly in the last few years. The deadline is June 25, 2027, according to Google. This is the date when the download links will be removed, meaning […]

9to5 Google: Google shuts down Pixel Studio with the latest app update. “Google is shutting down its AI-powered Pixel Studio app less than two years after its debut and instead pushing users over to Gemini and Nano Banana for image generation.”

The Daily Free Press (Boston University): BU students react to OpenAI’s Sora shutdown with relief, fear about artist livelihoods. “Although OpenAI did not provide a concrete reason for terminating Sora, it appears the shutdown was largely driven by financial factors, according to The New York Times. OpenAI earned about $13 billion in revenue, but it expects to spend about $100 billion over […]

CNBC: OpenAI shutters short-form video app Sora as company reels in costs. “While Sora proved wildly popular with users, hitting one million downloads less than five days after its launch in late September, OpenAI is reeling in costs as it seeks to justify its $730 billion valuation and set the stage for a potential IPO. OpenAI has been retreating from some hefty spending plans, shelving […]

Spotted in my email alerts, I think: AppSumo Graveyard. “Inspired by Google Graveyard. We track every AppSumo product that shut down, pivoted, or abandoned its LTD users.” Not much here yet, looks like it just launched.

The Register: ‘Hey! I’m chatting here!’ Fugazi answers doom NYC’s AI bot. “Lying means dying, at least for one falsehood-peddling government AI. A Microsoft-powered chatbot that New York City rolled out to help business owners answer frequently asked questions – but was often wrong – has been silenced as the city grapples with a $12 billion budget shortfall.”

The Register: 2026 brings a bumper crop of Microsoft tech funerals. “Windows 11 Home and Pro 24H2 hit end of support on October 13, as does the veteran Microsoft Publisher, with no real replacement in sight for customers who need to dash off the odd certificate or two.”

Lifehacker: Microsoft Is Finally Retiring Its Free Scanner App (but There Are Alternatives). “Keen observers have known about this since August, when Microsoft first announced that Lens would be retired in September and removed from app stores in November. That obviously didn’t happen, as the company adjusted the deadline to Dec. 15, which also came and went. Microsoft kicked the retirement can […]

Mashable: In Memoriam: All the tech that died in 2025. “Some of the entries on our in memorium list lived long, fruitful lives and contributed lasting legacies to the ever-evolving technology space. (RIP, Skype.) Others were flash-in-the-pan features or straight-up flops (we’re looking at you, Humane AI Pin), destined to meet an early death. Regardless, they’re all worthy of remembering for the […]

The Register: Microsoft mops up Mesh after another metaverse misfire. “As of December 1, mixed reality collaboration platform Microsoft Mesh is no more, and Redmond has directed customers to immersive events in Teams. The writing has been on the wall for Microsoft Mesh for some time. After a lengthy stint in preview, the service became generally available in 2024 as a 3D world where users could […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/12/06/the-register-microsoft-mops-up-mesh-after-another-metaverse-misfire/

TechCrunch: MKBHD’s wallpaper app Panels is shutting down. “Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, or MKBHD, announced on Monday that his phone wallpaper app Panels is shutting down. Fans had high hopes for Brownlee’s foray into app development, given his reputation as an eagle-eyed tech reviewer who has amassed more than 20 million followers on YouTube.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/12/04/techcrunch-mkbhds-wallpaper-app-panels-is-shutting-down/

TechCrunch: Google is shutting down Tables, its Airtable rival. “Google Tables, a work-tracking tool and competitor to the popular spreadsheet-database hybrid Airtable, is shutting down. In an email sent to Tables users this week, Google said the app will not be supported after December 16, 2025, and advised that users export or migrate their data to either Google Sheets or AppSheet instead, […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/12/techcrunch-google-is-shutting-down-tables-its-airtable-rival/

AdWeek: EXCLUSIVE: The New York Times Is Shutting Down Its Audio App . “The New York Times is sunsetting its Audio app, the standalone product it originally launched in May 2023 in a bid to deepen its relationship with audiences.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/05/exclusive-the-new-york-times-is-shutting-down-its-audio-app-adweek/

SF Gate: California tech startup once worth $1 billion shuts down. “Flip, a California tech startup that rode its TikTok-esque shopping and reviews app to a $1 billion valuation in 2024, has now shut down. The company — headquartered under the name Humans Inc. in El Segundo, per its website — scrubbed its main landing page sometime after Aug. 16, per Wayback Machine records.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/08/30/sf-gate-california-tech-startup-once-worth-1-billion-shuts-down/

The Register: Arc put on ice as The Browser Company bets big on AI-powered Dia. “AI is rapidly reshaping how we use the web, or so The Browser Company founder Josh Miller argues. That belief helped drive his team’s decision to stop building new features for its Arc browser and shift focus to an ‘AI browser’ dubbed Dia.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/05/31/the-register-arc-put-on-ice-as-the-browser-company-bets-big-on-ai-powered-dia/

PC World: This Office app survived 35 years. Now Microsoft is killing it. “As Microsoft Word and PowerPoint continually improve their feature sets, the two apps are slowly strangling one of Microsoft’s traditional Office apps: Microsoft Publisher.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/10/pc-world-this-office-app-survived-35-years-now-microsoft-is-killing-it/

Nieman Lab: OptOut News, an aggregation app for independent news, has shut down. “OptOut News, a news aggregation app that shared journalism from ‘financially independent’ and largely progressive news outlets like The Nation, The Intercept, and Grist, has shut down due to a lack of funding.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/07/nieman-lab-optout-news-an-aggregation-app-for-independent-news-has-shut-down/

Lifehacker: The Five Best Video Call Apps to Replace Skype. “The goal (and challenge) of choosing a video calling platform is to convince other people to join you. The last thing you want is to pick an app that no one uses, then force everyone in your circle to adopt that choice. The less friction, the better. That’s why platforms that work with people’s existing accounts and platforms are […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/03/lifehacker-the-five-best-video-call-apps-to-replace-skype/

Ars Technica: On May 5, Microsoft’s Skype will shut down for good. “After more than 21 years, Skype will soon be no more. Last night, some users (including Ars readers) poked around in the latest Skype preview update and noticed as-yet-unsurfaced text that read ‘Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.’ This morning, Microsoft has confirmed […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/03/ars-technica-on-may-5-microsofts-skype-will-shut-down-for-good/

MakeUseOf: Amazon Is Killing the Zoom Alternative You’ve Never Heard Of. “Sometimes, the first you hear of a product or service is when the company responsible for it announces its death. So it is with Chime, Amazon’s Zoom alternative, that most people will have never heard of until now.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/02/21/makeuseof-amazon-is-killing-the-zoom-alternative-youve-never-heard-of/

MakeUseOf: Amazon Is Closing Down Its TikTok-Style Platform That No One Asked For “TikTok stands on shaky ground in the US at the start of 2025, making it the perfect time for another platform to swoop in and take its place. Unfortunately, Amazon’s ‘Inspire,’ an app feature designed for influencer-produced videos, is now retired and out of the running.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/02/19/makeuseof-amazon-is-closing-down-its-tiktok-style-platform-that-no-one-asked-for/