Google has quietly launched a highly-anticipated feature for Gmail users who want to change their old or embarrassing email addresses without losing their data.
As per the update spotted on Google’s account help page, the Alphabet-owned Google lets users to replace their existing @gmail.com address with a new one while keeping all emails, photos, messages, and access to Google services intact.
The feature appears so far only on the Hindi version of Google’s support page, indicating its launch may be starting in India or Hindi-speaking regions.
The support page mentioned that the feature is being introduced to some users, with broader rollout expected in the near future.
The English variant of the page stated that Gmail addresses “usually cannot be changed,” and Google has yet to officially confirm the regions, which will initially receive the feature.
As per the agreement, a user’s original Gmail address will remain active as an alias, meaning emails sent to the old address will still arrive in the inbox.
The old address will continue to work for signing in to different services such as Google Drive, Maps, and YouTube.
Previously, changing a Gmail address needed generating a new account and manually transferring data- a process many users discovered complicated and disruptive.
There are some limits: Users who change their Gmail address cannot create another new Gmail address for 12 months, and the newly chosen address cannot be deleted.
Google has yet to issue a formal announcement about the change.
