Google will not support Cloud Print, its cloud-based printing solution starting 2021

Last week, Google notified its users that Cloud Print, Google’s cloud-based printing solution will not receive any support after December 31, 2020. The Cloud Print service has been in beta since 2010. It is a technology that enables users to print data from any Cloud Print-aware application like web, desktop, mobile in the network cloud to any printer. Google also advised its users to migrate to an alternate native printing solution before the beginning of 2021.

In the short support note, Google says that it has improved the native printing experience for Chrome OS users and will continue adding new features to it. “For environments besides Chrome OS, or in multi-OS scenarios, we encourage you to use the respective platform’s native printing infrastructure and/or partner with print solutions provider,” adds Google.

Native print management features currently or will be supported by Chrome OS by the end of 2019

• Admin console interface will manage thousands of CUPS-based printers for users, devices, and managed guests by organizational unit.
• The admin console policy will manage user printing defaults for 2-sided (duplex) and color.
• Support for advanced printing attributes like stapling, paper trays, pin printing.
• The admin console policy will include user account and filename in IPP header of print job over a secure IPPS connection. This will enable third-party printing features such as secure printing and print-usage tracking.
• PIN code printing will also be managed by the admin console policy. It will allow users to enter pin code when sending the print job. It will also release the print job for printing the pin code into the printer keypad.

Read More: Google Chrome ‘secret’ experiment crashes browsers of thousands of IT admins worldwide

New print management features to be available for Chrome OS before 2021

• New support for external CUPS print servers, including authentication.
• A Policy that will configure connections to external CUPS print servers.
• APIs for third-parties to access print job metadata, submit print jobs and printer management capabilities.

Google has always been infamous for killing its own products. This year they have retired many products like the Trips app, Google Inbox, and Hire by Google to name a few.

Read More: Why Google kills its own products

Many users have expressed their disappointment with the retirement of Cloud Print.

A user on Hacker News labeled Google to be the ‘land of the walking-dead projects’.

The comment read, “Good news: they give you a year to transition.

Bad news: you’ll have to buy a new printer if it doesn’t play nicely with CUPS.

Google really is the land of walking-dead projects.”

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