Today Google has announced new changes to their Google+ service, which backtracks on previous announcements which includes the stripping back of the requirement to have a Google+ account to use certain Google services like YouTube.
The commenting system has improved with the introduction of Google+ comments on YouTube, but the requirement to have a Google+ account has not been universally accepted, nor loved at any stage since it was introduced in 2013.
So, how will the new system work? According to Google, in the coming months they will remove the requirement for a Google+ login, though if you’re happy enough to use your Google+ login you still can. But, if Google+ isn’t your thing you’ll be happy to know that ‘a Google Account will be all you’ll need to share content, communicate with contacts, create a YouTube channel and more, all across Google’ so simply creating a Google account will be all that’s needed.
YouTube has further clarified the changes to comments advising that ‘comments being made on YouTube will now appear only on YouTube, not also on Google+. And vice-versa’. YouTube has also been busy with their commenting tools, introducing better moderation tools for creators, with options to review comments before they’re posted, and allow them to block certain words, or auto-approve comments from certain fans.
YouTube creators will be able to remove their Google+ account in the coming months for anyone who wants to completely decouple from the service, but YouTube warns that doing so now will delete your channel – so don’t do it.
Google+ isn’t going away however, with VP of Streams Bradley Horowitz clarifying that Google+ will be continuing to focus on the things that work in Google+ like Collections, which lets you ‘share and enjoy posts organized by the topics you care about’. He does go on to say that features such as some of the elements from Google+ Photos will be moved over to the Google Photos app where they should be.
There’s some big changes coming up, but there’s no denying that Google is definitely scaling back the once mighty Google+ behemoth. Google+ continues to be a great place for interactions, but with wide-spread adoption of G+ still the white whale for Google, there will be scaling back of the forced usage of the service in future months. Stay tuned for more announcements on the future of Google+.
