Google dismantles key part of Google+ for disgruntled YouTube users
As user numbersof Google’s Facebook rival Google+ continue to nosedive, the search giant has spent the last few months dismantling the platform.Now, YouTube users won’t need a Google+ account to post content.
The announcement was made by Google’s VP of Streams, Photos, and Sharing, Bradley Horowitz in a blog post overnight, and further explained in a Google+ Update this morning. He said in the next few monthsusers will no longer need a Google+ account to use Google products, with YouTube the first cab off the rank.
“We want to formally retire the notion that a Google+ membership is required for anything at Google… other than using Google+ itself,” he said this morning.
The four-year-old Google+ aimed to become Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest all in one, allowing a predicted billion+ users to update statuses, post photographs and stay in touch with friends and colleagues on multiple sharing platforms. In 2013 Google made it mandatory to have a Google+ account and profile to post comments on YouTube. It also posted YouTube comments on to the Google+ platform.
Horowitz, who joined Google in February, said the feedback received was that the platform was “sometimes found confusing.”
“For instance, and perhaps most controversially, integration with YouTube implied that leaving a comment on YouTube (something users had obviously been doing successfully for years) suddenly and unexpectedly required joining Google+,” Horowitz said.
Google alludedto the defeat of its social network onMarch 2 when Horowitz announcedGoogle+ would be broken into two separate entities:Photos and Streams.
A blog post published by YouTube overnight advisedits users not to remove their Google+ profile yet and to wait a few months; doing so now will delete their YouTube channel. In the coming months users will only need a Google Account to create a YouTube channel.
“The comments you make on YouTube will now appear only on YouTube, not also on Google+. And vice-versa,” said YouTube.
Google+ will now turn its focus on to engaging users around shared interests. With Horowitz’ team called SPS (Streams, Photos and Sharing) it is adding a new feature called Google+ Collections where users “share and enjoy posts organized by the topics you care about.”
The news follows a partnership between Google's streaming service Google Play Musicand Samsung in the UK. Under the new deal Samsung will provide users in the UK of its phone and tableta free three-month subscription. Purchasers of itsSamsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge devices are being offered a free six-month subscription.
A similar deal was struck with streaming competitor Deezer last year, however the agreement was not renewed.
Chong Won Lim, Head of Product Marketing, IT & Mobile at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland said in a statement:“AtSamsung, we are committed to giving our customers what they want and we know music is a huge part of many of our users’ lives. Technology has revolutionised the way we consume entertainment and we are delighted that through this partnership with Google Play Music we are able to enhance the mobile experience for so many of our customers.”