What is Google Spaces?
Google Spaces was a mobile and web communication app launched in May 2016 and shut down in April 2017. It was designed to facilitate small-group sharing focused around specific topics and interests.
The key features of Google Spaces included:
- Ability to create spaces to discuss topics with small groups of people
- Integrations with other Google services like YouTube, Chrome, and Search to easily share content into conversations
- Minimalist, text-focused interface
- Smart hashtag system to organize discussions and highlight important keywords
- App available on iOS, Android, and web
Google hoped Spaces would become a hub for constant, ongoing conversations among close friends, family, teammates, and co-workers. However, it failed to gain significant traction with users. Uptake was likely hindered by a confusing launch, unfinished features, and strong competition from messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Slack.
Google shut down Spaces in April 2017, less than a year from launch. Some features lived on in Hangouts Chat, part of G Suite. But Google Spaces itself proved to be a failed experiment in social communication apps for the tech giant.