Technology company Google has announced it is shutting down its Google+ social media platform in April.
The service will close for personal consumer accounts on April 2nd, but will begin winding down from as soon as February 4th.
Google announced plans to shut down the service late last year, due to "low usage and the challenges involved in maintaining a successful product".
The offering has long struggled against other services like Facebook and Twitter.
On April 2nd, Google+ accounts and pages will be shut down and the company will begin deleting content.
Photos and videos in album archives and on pages will also be erased.
However, users can download and save their content before the April deadline.
Photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted, the company has said.
A staged photograph taken in Munich, Germany shows the Google Plus logo on a screen | Image: Tobias Hase/DPA/PA Images
In a statement to users, Google said: "The process of deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts, Google+ Pages and the album archive will take a few months, and content may remain throughout this period.
"For example, users may still see parts of their Google+ account via the Activity log and some consumer Google+ content may remain visible to G Suite users until consumer Google+ has been deleted."
But it added that from as early as February 4th, users will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities or events.
For those who sign in to sites and apps using Google+, these buttons will stop working in the coming weeks - but may be replaced by a Google sign-in button.
A feature allowing people to use Google+ for comments on their own or other sites will also be removed.
All Google+ comments on all sites will be deleted starting on April 2nd.
The company added: "From all of us on the Google+ team, thank you for making Google+ such a special place.
"We're grateful for the talented group of artists, community builders and thought leaders who made Google+ their home.
"It would not have been the same without your passion and dedication".
