GIF search engine Tenor has been purchased by Google

Google's no stranger to buying companies it sees a lot of potential in, and the latest to be scooped up by the search giant is Tenor. Tenor has a database of millions of GIFs that users can search through, and Google says it'll be integrating the company's tech into things like Gboard and Google Images.

Tenor's main product is its GIF Keyboard that's available for Android, iOS, and macOS, and it allows you to search through the company's entire collection of files and easily send them to people on the platform of your choice. Along with this, Tenor also has direct tie-ins with Facebook Messenger and the Samsung Messages app.

Commenting on the deal, Google Images Director of Engineering, Cathy Edwards, said –

With their deep library of content, Tenor surfaces the right GIFs in the moment so you can find the one that matches your mood. Tenor will help us do this more effectively in Google Images as well as other products that use GIFs, like Gboard. Tenor will continue to operate as a separate brand, and we're looking forward to investing in their technology and relationships with content and API partners. So whether you're using the Tenor keyboard or one of our other products, you can expect to see much more of this in your future.

Google didn't disclose how much it purchased Tenor for, but what we do know is that things will be business-as-usual for Tenor while it continues to operate under its own name.

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Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.