Chris McLeod has an interesting story regarding canceling your Google+ account, either with or without canceling your entire Google account. Here’s the (essential) text of his article:
Step 1.
Log-in to the Google Account you want to downgrade. If you have multiple accounts, make sure you have switched to the correct one. Click the dropdown menu in the upper-right corner of most Google applications (where your user picture is), and click the Account link circled in red below:
Step 2.
Click the Google+ link in the sidebar menu:
Step 3.
The Downgrade link is at the very bottom of the page:
Step 4.
You will be given the choice to disable your Google+ account, or to delete it, along with any social integrations (Google Buzz, YouTube, etc). Personally, as I know I don’t have any integrations I use with my old account, I went for the delete option. Pick which ever is right for you, then tick the “I Understand/Accept” box at the bottom of the page.
Step 5.
Click the button at the bottom of the page. Your account will be immediately disabled or downgraded from Google Plus. If all goes well, you will see a box asking for comments about why you did this. Feedback is always good for product teams, so leave a little message for them:
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