As Google shift focus to Google+ where location sharing is concerned, the company has made the logical and bold choice to kill Latitude and all its properties. This includes all the badges, API, mobile apps and websites, so if you are a big fan of Latitude and would like to keep tracking your spouse whereabouts, you will have to sign up for Google+.

The plan here to make Google+ location sharing stronger and more effective, so killing Latitude means the company can focus all its energy on a single product. Then again, it has been a long time since Google released any meaningful update for Latitude, the service was practically abandoned for what seems to be years

You might be wondering, when you should expect the end of Google Latitude, and what will happen to the folks you have been tracking. Well, according to Google support, the end will come on August 9, the company will also delete all your friends on Latitude and you will no longer get privacy reminders. However, the location reporting and history tools will still be available.

While it is great to see Google trying to bring everything under a single roof, this move might not be a good idea to some. Google Latitude is more easier to get into, all one needs to do is launch the Google Maps app and voila, they can view all their friends whereabouts on the map. With Google+, it is not that simple, plus, the company would be forcing those who have no interest in the social network to sign up.

The big question right now is, what other services will Google retire next? Reader is gone and the Internet world is not taking it well, and Latitude is about to kick the bucket. With all these changes, we should now expect the unexpected from Google, things would easier to handle this way.

Competing location tracking services might just be in for getting some new users after August 9.

[via Google support]