Google to shut down RSS service Reader after decline in usage Google will shut down its RSS service Google Reader in July, citing a decline in usage. A post on its official blog read: "We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. As an RSS service Google Reader currently allows users to aggregate different websites' content by constantly checking for new content and publishing them on their feed. Google said that users would be able to export their data - to use on other RSS services - using Google Takeout before the 1 July deadline.