Google Is Dropping Google+ Requirement From YouTube And Other Services

Google+ is getting subtracted from Google services. Starting with YouTube, users will no longer be required to have an account on Google’s social network to upload videos, comment or create a channel, according to a blog entry made by the company.

The move comes along with a number of changes Google is rolling out to YouTube, including an improved ranking system to filter out junk in the comments section. In addition, Google is also separating YouTube and Google+ comments. Now, comments made on the video site will remain on there, while Google+ comments on a YouTube video will stay within the social networking site.

Though Google is dropping the requirement for a Google+ account on YouTube, the feature won’t roll out for a few weeks. In the meantime, the company has recommended users don't their Google+ accounts, as it will also delete their respective YouTube channel as well.

The rest of Google’s services will receive the same treatment in the coming months. Once the changes are implemented, only a Google account will be necessary to share content and communicate with contacts across the company’s products. The Google account will remain unsearchable, unlike Google+ profiles.

Though Google+ will still be around for those that continue to use the social network, Google intends to disconnect some features from it. “For example, many elements of Google+ Photos have been moved into the new Google Photos app, and we’re well underway putting location-sharing into Hangouts and other apps, where it really belongs,” Google's vice president of streams, photos and sharing, Bradley Horowitz, wrote in a blog entry.

Launched in 2011, Google+ was expected to be a direct rival to Facebook. But since then, the social network has floundered. There are 2.2 billion profiles of Google+ as of January 2015, but only 4 to 6 million are considered active users, according to data from researcher Edward Morbius.