Google is officially shutting down the Helpouts service on April 20, 2015 after failing to draw enough users since its launch in 2013.
"We have some sad news to share: Helpouts will be shutting down on April 20, 2015," the announcement said on the website.
The search engine giant launched Google Helpouts in November 2013 to offer step-by-step guidance and lessons through live video. It allows users to directly speak with an expert on what they want to know from eight different categories: Arts & Music, Computer & Electronics, Cooking, Education & Careers, Fashion & Beauty, Fitness & Nutrition, Health, and Home& Garden.
Google earns from the service by charging a 20 percent transaction fee to those who provide paid lessons. Some of the known partners include TakeLessons, One Medical, Sephora, The Home Depot Redbeacon, Weight Watchers, and Rosetta Stone.
However, this service is no longer available if you search for it from Google Play and iTunes. Google started killing the service a couple of months ago when the paid Helpouts went dark in EU, causing the service partners to call off, TechCrunch reported.
Google Helpouts also failed to attract mobile users since the launch, probably because users wouldn't want to pay for something that they can get for free when watching YouTube.
"Since launching in 2013, Helpouts has been a home for people to connect with experts on topics they want to learn about or seek advice and solutions to everyday challenges. The Helpouts community includes some engaged and loyal contributors, but unfortunately, it hasn't grown at the pace we had expected. Sadly, we've made the tough decision to shut down the product," Google wrote on the website.
