Google to Shut Down 'Save to Google', 'Bookmark Manager' Chrome Extensions: Report

Google has had a Chrome extension called 'Save to Google' feature for a while now. The 'Save' functionality was first launched by Google for its Image Search and then in the Search app on Android. However, according to the latest reports, the search giant has now decided to shut down the feature. While the reason for the move is yet unclear, Google has also reportedly scheduled deprecation of another Chrome extension called 'Bookmark Manager'. Both the Chrome extensions were last updated on July 19 and they are set to shut down on August 15 this year.

As per a 9to5Google report, the 'Save to Google' extension for Chrome is set to be discontinued next month. As per a yellow warning message on the extension, Google has announced that the extension will be discontinued starting on the August 15. As of now, there is no clarity on what will happen to the pages that users might have saved over the years. However, the report says that you will still be able to view them via the 'Saved' site. The message also includes a link to 'View saves', suggesting that Google is just changing the way users save the pages via desktop.

Google had released 'Save to Google' Chrome extension back in April 2016 in to let users save particular images and links. This Save feature, announced in November 2015, was later renamed to 'Saved'. The report says that the feature became more prominent in 2017 when Google mobile search and the Google app added a quick shortcut to access the saved photos and links. When it comes to Android, the Google Chrome custom tabs opened through Search or the Feed has the 'Save' button in the app bar. Meanwhile, the desktop website was recently updated to match mobile with a shared responsive design that adopts Google's Material Design.

As per another 9to5Google report, the 'Bookmark Manager' Chrome extension is also set to shut down on August 15 in favour of Google's built-in manager. To be clear, the Chrome extension that is downloadable from the Web Store will be affected and the tool found at 'chrome://bookmarks' will remain intact. The move by Google makes sense as the company had refreshed the bookmark feature with Material Design last year. This had made the interface easier to browse, while search features in the app bar.