Google to Shut Down Popular App After 21 Years as Users Say 'Reverse This Decision'
Google says web and mobile versions will remain, while desktop apps stop getting updates after June 25, 2027.
- Google announced it will end downloads for the 21-year-old Google Earth Pro desktop app on June 25, 2027, shifting focus to web and mobile platforms to provide "the best place for people to get helpful geospatial insights."
- Professional users argue the web interface lacks feature parity with the desktop version, calling the decision "monumentally stupid" as it disrupts critical workflows for engineers, geoscientists, and biologists.
- Community members cite technical limitations, including a 250,000 vertex cap on the web version, while Mac users face potential access loss as Apple discontinues support for Rosetta-emulated apps with macOS 28.
- Users have flooded the Google Earth Help website demanding Google "reverse this decision," with some suggesting the company release the app under an open source license for community maintenance.
- Although Earth Pro will remain functional for existing installations, the company will cease updates after the 2027 cutoff, forcing users to eventually transition to alternative GIS services for comparable features.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Google Earth Pro is headed for the graveyard, and fans aren't happy about it
Credit: Ankit Banerjee / Android Authority TL;DR Google Earth Pro will no longer be available as a desktop app starting next year. Google wants users to switch to the web or mobile versions of Google Earth. Fans aren’t happy and say the current web interface lacks the flexibility of the desktop version. There are plenty of great Google apps now biting the dust in the graveyard, and another juggernaut will join the league soon (partially, at lea…
‘The impact to thousands of companies across industries will be huge’: Google Earth Pro for desktop is being discontinued, and some users are furious
Google is discontinuing the desktop version of Google Earth ProThe web and mobile versions of the app will continue to be availableYou have until June 25 2027 to download the desktop editionWhen it comes to abandoning and discontinuing its own products, Google doesn’t have a particularly stellar record. So many projects have been given the boot by the tech giant that there's even a Killed by Google website that collects all 300-plus of them.Now,…
A quick heads-up for everyone who still relies on the good old desktop classic for geodata or a quick virtual world tour: Google is beginning the gradual end of Google Earth Pro for desktop. The focus will now be entirely on... Read the article: Google Earth Pro: Desktop classic discontinued for new downloads Where to follow us: Facebook, Reddit, Google News, X, Threads Want to stay up to date? Add us to your favorite sources on Google!
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