Google may soon allow you to change your email address, even if it's a @gmail.com address.
The best New Year gift from Google
To enjoy most Google services, whether it is Gmail, YouTube, the Play Store on your Android smartphone, or anything else, you are asked to log in with your email address. I believe most users sign in to these platforms using their Gmail address that ends with @gmail.com. Even though a Gmail address is so important that maximum users rely on it to create accounts on different online platforms, Google has still not offered an option to edit its username. Fortunately, that could change soon.
A Google Support page spotted by a Telegram group named Google Pixel Hub says that you can change your email address that ends with @gmail.com to a new email address that also ends with @gmail.com. For some reason, the page is currently only available in Hindi. The page further mentions that the option to edit your Google Account email address is gradually being made available to users, so it may take some time before it makes its way to your account.
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The company also highlights that you will continue to receive emails at your old address even after creating a new one. The old email address will essentially serve as an alias. You will be able to use both email addresses to sign in to Google and other online services. Furthermore, there will be no data loss at all, and you won't lose access to any of your online accounts where you used your Google email address to register.
If you think you'll be able to edit your Google Account email address every few days, that, unsurprisingly, won't be possible. The support page reads that you can change your address only once every 12 months and a maximum of three times in total. Interestingly, one user posted on X that this option is already available on their Google Account.
Great news! I've been wanting to change my original Gmail address to something with my name in it and I just checked and I think I have the option. pic.twitter.com/szJD9zPDU3
Gmail app interface on a smartphone. Image by PhoneArena
The Mountain View giant currently allows users to change the address of accounts that don't end with gmail.com. This means you can change your email address if it's associated with another domain, such as @yahoo.com, but not if it ends with @gmail.com.
For instance, if I want to change the email address of my account kraman19999@gmail.com to something like heyamanhere@gmail.com, I wouldn't be able to do so at the moment. As a Gmail user, the only option I currently have is to create a new account and use email forwarding to link them.
You may ask, what's the reason behind it? As it turns out, your Gmail address acts as a unique identifier within the Google ecosystem. Changing it might break links to your old Google purchases, invites, subscriptions, and other items associated with your account. Moreover, it could also pose a security risk. If a malicious actor gains access to your account, they could change the address to impersonate someone else.
It'll be interesting to see how Google manages these challenges now that it plans to offer users the option to change their Google Account email address.
What actions have you taken to deal with your Gmail address that you find embarrassing?
Ditched that email address.
48.28%
Used email forwarding.
17.24%
Continued using the embarrassing email.
34.48%
29 Votes
We've waited for this ability for so long
The ability to change your Gmail address is probably one of the most requested features from Google. Personally, I created my first Gmail account, iluvjustinbeiber@gmail.com, back in 2012. Please don't judge me for that. Justin Bieber was one of the biggest stars at the time, and all my friends were creating Gmail accounts inspired by his name.
To be honest, if I had known that Gmail accounts would become so useful in the future, I definitely would have come up with a more meaningful email address. Believe me, reaching out to companies with an address like iluvjustinbeiber@gmail.com doesn't sound professional at all. Hopefully, we'll soon be able to edit our old, embarrassing email addresses into something more meaningful.
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Aman Kumar is a tech news writer with a long-standing passion for smartphones. Aman specializes in everything smartphones, from AI features like Pixel’s Camera Coach to understanding ideal hardware combinations. He loves breaking down complex features in a simple, clear way and hopes manufacturers bring back bold designs like the Nokia N-Gage. When he’s not writing, he’s either gaming on PUBG or talking fitness as a dedicated gym enthusiast.
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