Google is infamous for ruthlessly killing services it doesn’t deem successful or viable anymore. Just this winter, the company sunset Stadia, it’s high-profile game streaming platform that it announced with much fanfare a few years earlier. Google just spilled the beans on yet another shutdown, though this one might not ring a bell for you. A shutdown notice has just been posted for the Grasshopper app, a Duolingo-like service the company's Area 120 team created to help you learn how to code.

As one of our tipsters spotted, a new banner has appeared at the top of Grasshopper’s home screen that reads, “Grasshopper is shutting down on June 15, 2023.” Initially, it looked like the message was posted a little prematurely, and tapping the “Read more” button took you to what appeared to be a placeholder in the Grasshopper support forums with the subject “Quick test, please ignore” and the message “Test post, should be unlisted.” With a weirdly old publish date of February 24, it sure looked like someone was getting ready to make this shutdown announcement, but then the page wasn't updated as intended to give any further information.

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It took a few hours for Grasshopper to get its act together, and that post has now been edited to share the service's formal shutdown announcement. In it, the team confirms that the app is getting ready to go dark, and just as the banner promised, the key date here is June 15. Once that rolls around, the Grasshopper web app will no longer be accessible, and users will no longer be able to log in to the smartphone app — though if you're already logged in, you will be able to keep using it on your phone.

Grasshopper was announced in 2018 and was initially only available as an app on Android and iOS. The company only later brought it to the web in 2019. The service allows users to learn JavaScript using playful lessons, which are reminiscent of language learning apps like Duolingo. The app encourages you to come back every day to build a streak.

In its 2019 desktop launch announcement, Google said that the app reached more than two million people since its initial release for mobile. It was mostly pitched as an option for adults interested in getting to know basic programming skills, potentially helping them to explore new career paths.

Google axing the service doesn't come as a huge surprise, as Grasshopper was launched as part of the company's Area 120, its in-house incubator for startup-like ideas. The division saw severe cuts in 2022 as Google reacted to slowing economic growth, killing half of its projects.

We’ve reached out to Google for comment.

Thanks: Anthony