For more than 20 years, Gmail, the world’s largest email account provider, has made it easy for users to change the username on their email accounts.
But if a user wanted to keep all their data and services — like YouTube or Google Drive — connected to their @gmail account, the email address itself always had to stay the same.
Some users — like those who have been holding onto the same account names since they were teenagers, or people who have changed their names — wished that they were not locked into a state of permanence.
In recent days, though, Google has quietly started to roll out a way for users to change their Gmail addresses ending with @gmail.com, and keep all their emails — no matter how old their account.
The change appears to have been first noticed on Wednesday in a “Google Pixel Hub” Telegram group.
So far, the new feature is reflected only on the Hindi-language version of Google’s support page but it looks like it will be coming to other languages and regions.
“The ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users, so this option may not be available to you right now,” according to an English translation of Gmail’s support Hindi language support page.
The same message was on Google’s help center in other languages.
Google did not immediately respond to questions about the rollout, and about which users would be next to gain the feature and when.
On Sunday, the support page in English still read: “If your account’s email address ends in @gmail.com, you usually can’t change it.”
Under the new feature, users’ old Gmail address won’t disappear after they change their email address. Instead, the old email address will automatically become an alias, allowing it to still receive emails.
Other email providers have allowed aliases for years.
Gmail users will be able to use their old or new email address to sign into Google services like Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Google Play or Drive. Crucially, all of a user’s files, photos, subscriptions, calendar invites and purchase history stay on the existing account.
There also appears to be limitations, according to the Hindi-language version. Users can change their address only once every 12 months. Additionally, users will be able to create only up to three new email addresses for their account, for a lifetime total of four Gmail addresses. And they won’t be allowed to delete their new email address either.
Still, the changes ought to be welcomed by users who have clamored for a change.
It appears that any changes would apply only to @gmail.com addresses, and not to Google accounts obtained through employers, schools or other groups.
Of course, users would still have to find a name that is not attached to another Gmail account in order for their requested change to be accepted.
Adeel Hassan, a New York-based reporter for The Times, covers breaking news and other topics.
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