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Google Acquires Tenor, a Search Platform for GIFs

Tenor's GIF searching technology is used across many internet services including Facebook, Twitter and Discord.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Finding the right GIF images through Google will soon be a little easier. On Tuesday, the company bought Tenor, a search engine for GIFs.

The tech giant is incorporating Tenor's technologies into Google Images and other products. "With their deep library of content, Tenor surfaces the right GIFs in the moment so you can find the one that matches your mood," Cathy Edwards, a Google director of engineering, wrote in a blog post.

Founded in 2014, Tenor has its own search engine, along with a keyboard app that can pull up GIFs while you type. In addition, the company has an API that lets other companies—including Facebook and Twitter—use its platform to share GIFs.

GBoard GIF Searching

Whether or not Google will more prominently feature GIF searching isn't clear. But in 2016, Google also integrated Tenor's technology into Gboard, its mobile keyboard app.

The Google acquisition will help Tenor roll out more improvements for users, API partners, and advertisers, Tenor CEO David McIntosh said in a blog post. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Tenor will continue to operate as a seperate brand.

Although the platform processes 400 million daily GIF searches, Tenor has been seeking to serve more users by ramping up its global expansion. "Since early 2017, GIF searches on Tenor have grown by 5X in key markets like Europe, South America and Southeast Asia, in part due to Tenor's investment in providing localized regional search content," the company said in a blog post last month.

To pull in revenue, Tenor has been partnering with companies such as Dunkin' Donuts and Warner Bros to launch GIF campaigns that can touts their brands and upcoming products.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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