Google Reader Shutdown Today: July 15 Last Day for Alternative

By Justin Sarachik, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Google Reader was shut down July 2, ending the ability for users to subscribe to their favorite sites easily and now forcing third party usage.

Reader users will have until July 15 to download all of their digital data files on Google Takeout and find a replacement online subscriber.

The official statement released by Google read:

"Today, we powered down Google Reader. We understand you may not agree with this decision, but we hope you'll come to love these alternatives as much as you loved Reader."

They went on to list a number of FAQs to let users know their options.

Google says all data will be permanently deleted after July 15, upon which time the information will be gone forever.

Google initially made the announcement on March 13 of this year with a post on Blogger.

"There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we're pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience," they wrote.

"To ensure a smooth transition, we're providing a three-month sunset period so you have sufficient time to find an alternative feed-reading solution. If you want to retain your Reader data, including subscriptions, you can do so through Google Takeout," the company statement added.

Users of Google Reader have a number of options available to them in terms alternates.

Some of the best are Flipboard, Digg Reader, AOL Reader, NewsBlur, and Feedly, with the latter being the best according to Redmondpie.com.

"Available cross-platform for iOS, Android and Web at feedly.com, this is the most popular Google Reader alternative that you can find anywhere – period. Not only is the interface remarkable in terms of neatness and customization, but the feature set has undergone serious enhancement since the announcement of Google Reader's retirement. The ability to sync across various platforms is an added plus. Simply sign in with your account on which you have Google Reader feed and Feedly will import everything in one go. It's that simple!" says the website's review on the online product.