Do not miss this critical update.
dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Google has just changed Gmail after twenty years. In among countless AI upgrades — including “personalized AI” that gives Gemini access to all your data in Gmail, Photos and more, comes a surprising decision. You can now change your primary Gmail address for the first time ever. You shouldn’t hesitate to do so.
This new option is good — but it’s not perfect. And per 9to5Google, “Google also notes this can only be done once every 12 months, up to 3 times, so make this one count.”
Yes, you should change your email address. But only as the first part of a two-part strategy. It’s an opportunity to freshen your digital footprint. Change the address in Gmail and then change the email address in all your key accounts to the new one.
If you do that fully, you isolate the old address to accounts you no longer or rarely use and databases beloved of marketeers and breaches beloved of fraudsters.
At least for now.
You will then have options to filter emails sent to the old address, deprioritizing if not ignoring all that traffic. Google does a good job of filtering spam and scams. But it’s not good enough to relax your guard. Too much still gets through.
What you really need — arguably more than this change — is the promised but as yet undelivered shielded email update to Gmail. That gives you the option to provide temporary, throw-away aliases at the tap or click of a button when asked for your email address. That update alongside the Gmail address change update would be perfect.
Google has just warned users eagerly awaiting this address change update that “the ability to change your Google Account email is gradually rolling out to all users and this option may not be available to you yet.” So, don’t be alarmed if you don’t see it yet.
Email needs a rethink. For decades we have given away our primary email addresses to almost anyone that asks without much thought. And yet we use those same addresses as the unique identifier to most accounts and services as well. This a welcome opportunity to tidy up your digital footprint — don’t waste it.
