Is Tenor Shutting Down? What It Means for YouTube GIF Comments
If you've seen headlines about Google "killing Tenor," you might wonder how YouTube can be launching Tenor-powered GIF comments at the same time. Both are true, because they're about different things.
Short answer: Google shut down Tenor's public API, the service other apps used to search Tenor GIFs, on June 30, 2026. Tenor itself didn't disappear. The tenor.com website is still online, and Google keeps using Tenor in its own products, including YouTube's new GIF comments.
What happened to Tenor
Google bought Tenor in 2018. In 2026 it wound down the developer API that let other companies build Tenor search into their apps:
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| January 13, 2026 | Google stopped accepting new Tenor API sign-ups and integrations. Google's developer page says: "As of Jan 2026, we are no longer accepting new API clients." |
| June 30, 2026 | The Tenor API was shut down for existing apps. Google's notice said API and ads distribution agreements would end, and that requests to the API would fail with an error. |
Google said it wanted to focus on the "main Tenor experience."
Who was affected
Apps that used the Tenor API had to switch providers or lose GIF search. Coverage at the time named Discord, X (Twitter), WhatsApp and Bluesky among the affected apps, and Discord was reported to have moved to another GIF provider. (Shacknews, Yahoo Tech)
What still works
- The tenor.com website is still online.
- Google's own products keep using Tenor, for example GIF search in Gboard and Google Messages.
- YouTube GIF comments. YouTube's GIF picker, launched in October 2026, is powered by Tenor. When you post a GIF comment, YouTube stores a reference to a Tenor GIF. That's why YouTube only accepts Tenor GIFs, and not GIPHY or files from your phone.
What this means for you
If you use YouTube: nothing changes. GIF comments come from Tenor through Google's own systems, not the public API that was shut down.
If you want your own GIF in YouTube comments: the usual route is to upload it to Tenor so it shows up in YouTube's GIF search. We haven't yet confirmed whether Tenor still accepts new uploads from everyone after the API shutdown. We're testing this now and will update both this page and our custom GIF guide with the results.
If you're a developer: you can't get new Tenor API access. Apps that relied on it have moved to other GIF providers.
FAQ
Is Tenor going away completely? Google hasn't announced that. Only the public API was shut down. The website and Google's own integrations continue.
Why do some apps say "Tenor GIF not working"? Most likely the app was using the shut-down Tenor API and hasn't fully switched to a new GIF provider.
Why does YouTube use Tenor if the API is gone? Tenor is a Google product, so YouTube can use it internally. The shutdown only affected access for other companies' apps.
Can I still make my own GIFs? Yes. Our free video to GIF maker and GIF compressor run in your browser and don't depend on Tenor.
Based on Google's Tenor developer documentation and news coverage as of October 2026. YouTube GIF Comments is not affiliated with YouTube, Google or Tenor.