According to information on an official support page, Google is gradually rolling out a new feature that will allow users to change their “@gmail.com” email address. Until now, Google only allowed changes to account email addresses with third-party domains, while Gmail addresses were generally fixed and could not be changed.
The updated support page (which, by the way, is currently only available in Hindi) that was discovered by users before an official announcement details a new process that allows users to change their Gmail username while being able to keep the “@gmail.com” domain. According to Google, this feature will be gradually introduced and eventually made available to all users.
The new system will allow users to create a new Gmail address with a different username; following the change, the original Gmail address will become an alias for the new one. Emails sent to either address will go to the same inbox, and both can be used to sign in to Google services like Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, Maps, and Google Play. It is important to note that existing account data, such as emails, photos, and messages, will be preserved.
But the company also mentions some restrictions and conditions, like, for example, users will be unable to delete or change their email address for the next 12 months after making the change. While the old Gmail address can be reused by the same account, it cannot be used to create a new Google Account for the next 12 months. Each account may change its Gmail address up to three times, for a total of four Gmail addresses per account.
It is also important to mention that some elements of the old email address may persist in certain places, like calendar events created before the change, and updates may not be immediately reflected everywhere. Users will still be able to send emails from the old address (which will remain reserved exclusively for them).
The feature is not yet fully functional, but when it is, users will be able to manage the change through the “My Account” settings. As the rollout progresses, Google is expected to share additional information.
