Discord Keeps GIF Search After Tenor API Retirement

Google confirmed on June 30 that Tenor’s public API has been retired. Discord users will retain GIF search because Discord moved its GIF provider to Klipy before the API went offline.

Tenor is a GIF library used across the internet for more than a decade and was acquired by Google in 2018. Earlier this year Google announced plans to make the Tenor API private, prompting app developers to prepare for restricted access.

Several apps migrated away from Tenor ahead of the June 30 deadline. Discord tested Klipy and Giphy in the spring and completed the transition in public builds; the GIF picker in Discord now displays “Search Klipy.” WhatsApp switched from Tenor in January and also moved to Klipy. X replaced Tenor with another GIF library that has not been publicly identified.

Because providers changed before the API shutdown, users of major messaging and social apps have continued to search for and post GIFs with limited interruption.

Developer and product teams replaced Tenor with alternative libraries or built private GIF collections in the weeks and months before the shutdown. Applications that have not completed a migration may no longer have access to Tenor-sourced content now that the public API is closed.

Users do not need to take action to keep posting GIFs. Searchable GIFs remain available in apps that completed integrations, though results now come from the new providers. Apps that have not announced replacements may still be rolling out or refining their GIF integrations.