Google bumps off mobile apps

Bump Technologies, which was acquired in September 2013 by Google, has confirmed the discontinuation of two of its mobile apps from 31 January 2014.

The Bump and Flock apps enabled the sharing of files and photos between devices and with friends and family, respectively, using the cloud.

In a blog post, CEO and co-founder David Lieb said: "We are now deeply focused on our new projects within Google, and we've decided to discontinue Bump and Flock.

"On January 31, 2014, Bump and Flock will be removed from the App Store and Google Play. After this date, neither app will work, and all user data will be deleted."

Lieb said the members of the Bump Technologies team who were taken onboard by Google following the acquisition will be working on "new creations", but stopped short of revealing what they will be.

Bump and Flock join a number of other Google acquisitions made in recent years that have been discontinued including BeatThatQuote.com in 2013, Jaiku in 2012, and Picnick, also in 2012.

The company has also decommissioned some of its own creations recently, including Reader in July 2013, iGoogle in November 2013, and Code Search in March 2013.

Jane McCallion is ITPro's deputy editor, specializing in cloud computing, cyber security, data centers and enterprise IT infrastructure. Before becoming Deputy Editor, she held the role of Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialise in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.