In 2014, Google realized that their Local Guides + Mobile apps strategy had worked out the way they wanted and as such, Panoramio was no longer required as the default photo-sharing platform for Google Earth as well as Google Maps applications. To this effect, the company issued a statement where they announced that the Panoramio platform would be discontinued. However, this announcement was met with a lot of backlash from seasoned users, who even petitioned to keep the platform running despite the existence of the newer mobile apps and the local guides program. The pressure was enough to get the tech giant to reverse their decision and keep Panoramio running for the time being. The users tasted success and Panoramio started getting uploads at an increased pace. But, this was not what was on the agenda at Google, which knew that the future belonged to the mobile applications and an integrated photo-sharing feature.
