If your shop or feed supplier still sends product updates through Content API for Shopping, ask for migration evidence now. A working storefront does not establish that its Merchant Center integration is current.
What changed?
Google says Content API for Shopping reached sunset on 18 August 2026. From 1 September 2026, requests without an active extension began intermittently failing with HTTP 410 Gone. The published timetable places full decommissioning in early 2027, with timing subject to revision.
The replacement is Merchant API. Google warns that retrying failed legacy requests may temporarily succeed but will not provide a lasting solution.
Which UK retailers need to act?
This applies to businesses whose software uses the retiring API. It does not mean every uploaded spreadsheet, scheduled file feed or website checkout needs replacing. Ask your developer or feed provider to identify the actual submission method before commissioning work.
For the distinction between submission and on-page information, see our explanation of product feeds and merchant listing schema.
Ask for a small acceptance pack
- Identify the connection: record the application, supplier, Merchant Center account and API version. Keep credentials out of routine reports.
- Confirm the replacement: request the migration completion date and evidence that the production connection uses Merchant API.
- Test a controlled product change: use an authorised price or stock update and check that the intended value arrives in Merchant Center.
- Check failures: review recent request errors and failed product updates. A successful retry must not conceal an unfinished migration.
- Assign ownership: name the person responsible for monitoring subsequent submissions and resolving rejected items.
When should you escalate?
Escalate if the provider cannot identify the submission route, reports repeated legacy HTTP 410 responses, or cannot demonstrate that an authorised change reaches the destination. Preserve the working configuration and involve its maintainer before disabling connections.
KAP SEO Services can help review the commercial consequences through Google Shopping and feed optimisation support. The acceptance test is fresh, accurate product data arriving through a supported connection, rather than a migration marked complete on a supplier’s task list.
Official source
Google Content API deprecation and sunset timetable. Platform facts checked on 1 November 2026. Rollouts, eligibility and deadlines can change; check the linked documentation before implementing changes.