Google News discontinues digital magazines as no readers

Realising that people are not even reading magazines like Rolling Stone or Conde Nast Traveller and newspapers online, Google has decided to discontinue 'print replica' PDFs of magazines on its Google News app.

The tech giant is sending emails to Google News users about full refunds that are being processed and there will be no new issues coming, reports Android Police.

The "print replica" magazines in Google News are the PDF versions of print editions that you could view on smartphones or desktop.

Readers could still visit a magazine's website if they wish to read the e-version of the magazine, the report said on Friday.

"This notification is to inform you that we're discontinuing print-replica magazines in Google News.

"Publishers can continue selling content on Google News in the form of paywalled RSS-based publications - it is only the support for the sale of discrete digital files that is changing," read the Google email.

However, you'll continue to have access to all issues you previously subscribed to in the Google News app, in the Following or Favorites tab, depending on your app version.

"To continue to read the latest articles, we encourage you to search for that publication in Google News, or visit the publication's website," said Google.

Google started providing magazine content in 2012 with the Play Magazines app.

The company later renamed it to Play Newsstand and merged it into Google News.