Google announced on October 8, 2018 that it’s officially pulling the plug on its social media platform, Google+. Google’s social media baby was born in 2011. Call it wrong place, wrong time, but user activity since has been slow going. 90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds. But that’s not the top reason why Google is phasing out the platform. They’ve cited a data breach discovered in March 2018 as the main reason. The breach was relatively small, up to 500,000 accounts were affected and they weren’t able to accurately identify the affected users, but it was enough to make Google weigh the pros and cons, and it looks like + came up negative.

What’s next?

Google+ won’t officially shut down until August 2019. During this transition phase, they will provide users with more information, including ways they can download and migrate data. In the meantime, Google has plans to turn the platform into an enterprise tool — a place for coworkers to organize and communicate. They’ve promised details are on the way.

How do I know if I’m on Google+?

If you’re not sure if you have a Google+ account, sign in to your Google account and then go to the Google homepage. Click your profile picture in the top right corner. If you see a “Google+ Profile” link, that means you have an account.

How can I delete my Google+ account?

There’s no rush for you to go delete your account, but you may feel more comfy getting it over with. Keep in mind that deleting your Google+ account won't affect your overall Google or Gmail account. If you want to do it now, make sure you have any information you need, since you’ll no longer have access. If you plan on migrating data from your profile, wait — Google will provide instructions for this in the coming months. If you’re ready to delete your profile now, click that “Google+ Profile” link to visit your Google+ profile and select “Settings” from the menu on the left.

Scroll down to the bottom of the following page and select “Delete Your Google+ Profile”.

Select the checkbox to confirm you’d like to delete your profile, then select “Delete”. You’ll then be taken to a confirmation page.

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