Twitter is killing Vine

It’s the end of an era. Twitter today announced it is planning on killing off Vine “in the coming months,” after launching the service back in January of 2013.

The app has been the source of numerous humorous clips, memes, and even experimental movies, but has also been the source of a fair share of controversy as well. With Instagram adding video support, Vine had tried to retaliate by allowing for longer videos, but it seems that plan didn’t quite pan out.

For its part, Twitter had been rumored to be laying off 300 employees recently. Now it seems we know where some of them are coming from.

Twitter says nothing will happen to the apps or your current Vines in the meantime, but it looks like you won’t be able to make any new ones much longer.

Here’s the company’s announcement in full:

Since 2013, millions of people have turned to Vine to laugh at loops and see creativity unfold. Today, we are sharing the news that in the coming months we’ll be discontinuing the mobile app.

Nothing is happening to the apps, website or your Vines today. We value you, your Vines, and are going to do this the right way. You’ll be able to access and download your Vines. We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made. You will be notified before we make any changes to the app or website.

Thank you. Thank you. To all the creators out there — thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day. To the many team members over the years who made this what it was — thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.

What’s next? We’ll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way. We’ll be sharing more details on this blog and our Twitter account, and will notify you through the app when we start to change things.

Farewell, 6.5 second videos.