Facebook Competitor Path Is Shutting Down: Download Your Data Now

This morning we've got some bad news for those of you who claim Path as your social network of choice, as its creators have announced that it will soon be shutting down. Path has been with us for nearly eight years now, originally launching back in November 2010. It isn't quite going make it to its eighth birthday, however, as the shut down is scheduled to happen next month.

In a blog post today, the team behind Path announced the shutdown and noted that it will now "prioritize our work to serve you with better products and services." What those products and services could be is anyone's guess, but we suppose that's news for a different time. In any case, the Path team gave a timeline for this shutdown, which is going to happen in phases instead of all at once.

Today, nothing is changing – we're simply being notified that Path will soon be killed off. On October 1, the Path app will disappear from iTunes and Google Play, effectively ending new sign-ups for the service. Then, on October 18, the service as a whole will be rendered inaccessible, with customer service shutting down on November 15.

Before Path shuts down on October 18, you can download a copy of your data, which includes the images, text, and videos you've published to the network. This can be done in two different ways, either by heading over to Path's website, logging in, and entering the email address you'd like your backup to be sent to; or by heading into the Path app's settings and tapping the button on the pop-up alert to enter your email address that way.

Path is also offering refunds to users who have recently purchased premium subscriptions. If you're on iOS, you'll need to process the refund though Apple's support site, while those on Android can get a refund by sending their transaction ID to Path staff. More information on the shutdown and how to process a refund can be found over on Path's website.