CALIFORNIA (Kashmir English): Google has said it is gradually rolling out a long-awaited feature that will enable its users to change their “@gmail.com” email addresses in a significant shift in its long-standing account policy.
The company said emails, photos and messages would stay unchanged, and old Gmail addresses remain reserved.
According to an updated Google support page, users will now be allowed to change their Gmail address ending in “@gmail.com” to a new one, a feature that was previously unavailable.
Until now, Google only permitted account email changes for users who signed up with third-party email addresses, while Gmail users were generally locked into their original usernames.
The update was spotted on a Google support page currently visible only in Hindi, suggesting a phased or limited rollout with Google saying the feature would be made available gradually to all users.
The company explained that users who opt to change their Gmail address will retain full access to their account, with the original email address converted into an alias.
This means emails sent to both the old and new addresses will arrive in the same inbox, and users will be able to sign in using either address.
Google stated that changing Gmail address will not affect stored data like emails, photos, or messages. Users will also continue to be able to send emails from their original address, which will remain reserved and cannot be claimed by another user.
Gmail address
Google is letting users change their Gmail address, turning the old one into an alias that still receives mail and can sign in with, with all data safe; however, the new address can’t be changed or used to create a new account for 12 months after changing, and users get three address changes total, but the old address might linger in some older services like calendars.
The company has not yet announced when the feature will be available worldwide.
