In 2012 Google Plus rolled out a new design update. The original post is preserved below, with the full story of Google+ from that day until it shut down. Google Plus officially closed on 2 April 2019.
Original post (2012, translated):
Google Plus must have copied Facebook — they just rolled out a new page layout. Honestly, I think Google Plus is about to hear the same boos Facebook got when it switched to Timeline.
The new style anchored the main menu to the left: profile, home, games, video chat tabs all combined in a left-side box. The chat panel moved to the right as another box.
The profile page also feels different — pushing the profile cover image to the right struck me as weird. I think Google’s trying to shake off the “copying Facebook” criticism and build its own visual identity.
From 2012 to 2019 — The Google Plus Story
Google Plus launched on 28 June 2011 as “Google’s answer to Facebook”. The 2012 redesign was its peak — but the story ended tragically.
Timeline
- June 2011: Closed beta. I remember refreshing YouTube for an invite for an hour.
- October 2011: Announced 40 million users.
- April 2012: The redesign covered in this post. Left panel + Circles emphasis.
- 2012-2014: Google forced YouTube comments, Gmail profiles, even Hangouts to tie into Google+. Backlash huge.
- 2015: Google detached YouTube/Gmail integration. Google+ became “optional”.
- October 2018: Data breach (500K+ users’ data exposed). Google announced shutdown.
- 2 April 2019: Google Plus officially shut down. Consumer version offline.
- Post-2019: Lived on as “Google Currents” inside Workspace. That, too, shut down in 2023.
Why It Failed
- No network effect. Everyone’s friends were already on Facebook. No reason to migrate.
- Circles were too complex. Friend categorization sounded clever but felt like extra mental load.
- Forced integration backfired. Tying YouTube comments to Google+ profiles made millions furious.
- Weak mobile experience. Facebook and Twitter went mobile-first; Google+ stayed desktop-centric.
- Google’s internal motivation faded. Engineers didn’t want to work on it.
Legacy of Google+
- Hangouts lives on as Google Meet + Google Chat.
- Circles inspired X Lists and Instagram Close Friends.
- +1 button died; Google’s “Like” never took off.
- Google Photos spun out of Google+ Photos and survived as a standalone product.
