Gmail is the most widely used email service in the world. (Express Photo)
For years, a Gmail address has been treated as a kind of permanent digital identity. But that long-standing rule may finally be changing. As it turns out, Google is now rolling out a new option that allows users to modify their Gmail address, giving Gmail users more flexibility to update outdated usernames or correct early choices without having to create an entirely new account.
On a Google support page published in Hindi, the company says it is rolling out a new option that allows users to change their email address even if it ends with “@gmail.com”. Until now, Google only allowed account email changes for users who signed up with third-party email addresses, while Gmail addresses themselves could not be modified.
Once you select a new email address, Google might treat your old Gmail address as an alias. This means you can sign in to Google services using either of these addresses. The tech giant says users will continue to receive emails at both old and new email addresses and that data like photos, messages, and emails sent to the old email address won’t be affected.
The change seems to be live for some users. (Image Source: GreenShades9/X)
And while users will be able to use their old Google account email address, Google won’t let you create a new Google account email address for a year. The company also notes that users can change their email address a total of three times.
The support page goes into other details as well, but it looks like the changes aren’t live at the moment. As it turns out, the ability to choose a new Gmail address is being “rolled out gradually”, and won’t initially be available to everyone, so you may have to wait for some time before the option is available for your account.