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New Delhi: Google may finally be fixing one of Gmail’s oldest pain points. Over the years, the users whose mail address is a @gmail.com did not know how to alter their mail address. No edits. No do-overs. If you had chosen an old-fashioned email name several years ago, you would have to use it forever.
It is a restriction that may soon be eliminated. The report by 9to5 Google states that Google is about to launch an option that enables users to change their Gmail address, but maintain the same Google Account and data on it. The alternative has already made it to a revised Google support page quietly and an indication of a gradual global implementation is probable.
The new support page states that the users will soon get ready to change their existing address which was in the form of the @gmail.com address with a new one. The same Google Account will be kept active. It implies that there is no necessity to open a new account or transfer data. The users first noticed the change in the Google Pixel Hub Telegram group.
Interestingly the details of the support are now displayed only in Hindi. Google is yet to announce it publicly. Nevertheless, the instructions are straightforward. This is intended functionality, and not a test. It is an indication of a significant shift in policies at Gmail, which has been stable for almost twenty years.
Upon the release of the feature, users will have an option to settle upon a new Gmail username. The previous email address will not be destroyed. It will remain a pseudonym. Any emails that were received by the old address will also be received in the inbox.
Sign-ins shall also be flexible. The user is allowed to log in through the old or the new Gmail address. Data that exists remain unchanged. This comprises emails, Google drive files, photos, contacts, Google history, purchase of apps, subscriptions, and saved places. Nothing is lost. Nothing is reset.
Google is restricting it to stop misuse. Once a Gmail address is changed, one cannot edit or delete the newly added email within 12 months. During this time, one cannot use the previous Gmail name to create another Google Account.
There is a delay of some time during which some older services, including former entries in Google Calendar, would still show the old email. Nevertheless, ownership remains the same. The speech does not go away but remains permanently connected to the same account. The users can also use the old address to proceed with sending emails.
Google is allowing a maximum of three changes of Gmail addresses. By this, one Google Account can be associated with four Gmail addresses with time. To the majority of users this is sufficiently flexible without being an invitation to abuse.
The limit also does not mean that Gmail usernames should not be stable and traceable especially during security and recovery.
An email address nowadays is not a log in ID. It is connected to work, banking, traveling, cloud storage and personal identity. Modifying it normally involves starting afresh. The new strategy by Google eliminates this load.
Google is providing something that is practical and long overdue by allowing users to change their Gmail name and at the same time retaining their data. The feature is still not fully operational. Once it is availed it will appear under My Account section. It will be one of the most beneficial Google updates of 2025 to many millions of long-term Gmail users.
