The Tenor API Shutdown: A Complete Breakdown of What Happened, What Was Lost, and Where GIF Search Went

Google warned developers that after the cutoff, any attempt to make an API request would result in an error message .

Which platforms lost Tenor GIF search?

The following major platforms previously integrated Tenor's API for their in-app GIF pickers and were directly impacted:

• X (formerly Twitter) — Lost Tenor-powered GIF search .
• Discord — Lost Tenor integration; began testing alternatives like GIPHY and Klipy ahead of the deadline .
• WhatsApp — Lost Tenor-based GIF search in some regions and configurations; migrated to alternatives .
• Bluesky — Lost Tenor GIF support; discussions with Klipy were reported .
• Facebook — Used the Tenor API for GIF search in some contexts .
• Ghost (publishing platform) — Used Tenor for GIF search in its editor; switched to Klipy .
• Slack and Signal — Were noted as platforms that had Tenor integrations; Signal reportedly switched to GIPHY .
• Telegram — Its @gif bot still depended on Tenor as of the shutdown, with no public announcement about a replacement .
• Various other chat apps, bots, and smaller services lost functionality .

Which GIF providers replaced Tenor?

Two main alternatives emerged as the primary destinations for developers migrating away from Tenor:

GIPHY

GIPHY offered a "Tenor Compatibility API" that let developers switch with minimal code changes: create a GIPHY API key and swap the API host from tenor.googleapis.com to api.giphy.com . This was described as the primary drop-in migration path and was the simplest option for existing integrations . Discord tested both GIPHY and Klipy , while Signal reportedly moved to GIPHY .

Klipy

Klipy is a newer GIF provider founded by former Tenor leadership, content, and tech teams . Its API was designed to closely resemble Tenor's, often requiring only a base URL change .

Several major platforms migrated to Klipy:

• WhatsApp began automatically migrating Tenor users to Klipy before the shutdown .
• Ghost switched its GIF card to Klipy .
• Discord tested Klipy as one of its alternatives .
• Bluesky had community members initiate a GitHub pull request to swap to Klipy, with discussions ongoing .
• Minnit Chat migrated to Klipy .

A notable controversy

Some developers and users criticized GIPHY and other alternatives as more restrictive or "censorious" compared to Tenor's library. A systems engineer named Yacine publicly called one replacement "censorious and awful" after his own forced switch, raising concerns about content moderation differences . Users on migrated platforms may notice smaller libraries, different search results, or stricter content filtering .

What does this mean for users?

• Broken GIF pickers: Users on platforms that did not migrate to a new provider will see their in-app GIF search functionality stop working entirely .
• Automatic migrations: On platforms like WhatsApp that proactively switched to Klipy or GIPHY, the change may be seamless — the GIF picker still works but pulls from a different library .
• Different content libraries: Even on migrated platforms, users may notice a different selection of GIFs, different search results, or stricter content filtering compared to what Tenor offered .
• No impact on Tenor website: The standalone Tenor website (tenor.com) remains operational. Users can still manually search and share GIFs from there — just not through third-party app integrations .

For millions of users who relied on in-app GIF pickers — whether to react in a group chat, respond on social media, or add visuals to a blog post — the Tenor API shutdown effectively ended an era. The web's GIF ecosystem is now split between a few dominant providers, and the days of a single API powering GIF search everywhere are over.