Google Latitude Closing Down On August 9

The Google Latitude platform is the newest app to receive the ax from the search giant. One in three Google apps never stand the test of time, and Latitude is no exception.

Starting August 9, 2013, the Google Latitude program will be discontinued on Google Maps for Android, Latitude for iPhone, the Latitude API, the public badge, the iGoogle Gadget, and the Latitude website at maps.google.com/latitude.

After retirement, Google users will no longer be able to share their location through the platform.

Google Explains What Latitude’s End Means For Customers

“You’ll no longer be able to share your location using Latitude after retirement.

We haven’t included Latitude as a feature in the latest version of Google Maps for mobile on Android and we’ll remove Latitude for iPhone on the App Store.

We’ll delete your list of friends on Latitude. You won’t be able to see or manage friends. Any existing friends will no longer see your location in Google Maps for mobile on Android, Latitude for iPhone, the public badge, the iGoogle Gadget, and the Latitude website at maps.google.com/latitude, if you continue to use these products.”

Google Offers Alternatives For Latitude’s Location Sharing Capabilities

Google suggests that users start sharing their information with friends via Google+. The company’s social network allows for desktop browser and mobile location sharing for Google Android users. Google has also promised to bring the location sharing capabilities to the iOS platform “soon.”

Google noties that Location Reporting will be disabled when the platform closes down but Google users can turn that feature back on via Google+, Location History, or other uses.

The search company also notes:

“If you use Location Reporting and have Location History enabled, your location data will continue to be recorded to your Location History. You can view and manage Location History data on the Location History dashboard.”

Other Changes That Google Latitudes Closure Will Cause:

Third Party apps that use the Latitude API will lose access to that location data. Lost data will including Location History data saved on Google servers. The company says non-Google applications can continue to store data they’ve already accessed.

Latitude Privacy Reminders have already been removed, which ends email reminders for the programs users.

Google Maps will lose automatic check-ins capabilities. Any Google Latitude users who have enabled automatic check-ins will see that feature turned off. Fear not, history viewing for check-ins and manual check-ins will still be offered.

What Google Latitude Closing Down Means For You

Most Google Latitude users won’t notice much of a change if they also use Google+, Google Maps and other platforms that take advantage of Google Latitude type services. With the service still a month away from closure most third-party app developers will likely gravitate to other API’s and Google is ensuring that most major features offered are in some way supported, even if that support requires manual data entry.

Are you sad to see Google Latitude closing down or was this just another inevitable closure as Google continues to streamline its apps into a more fluid platform?