Why it matters: Good news for those people whose Gmail address includes a reference to something that was pretty cool when they were young but is fairly embarrassing these days. Google is rolling out a feature that allows users to change their @gmail addresses.
According to an update to Google's account help page, Gmail users can now change their existing Gmail address to a new one without losing all the associated data and services.
The Google support document that identified the change is written in Hindi, suggesting it is arriving for users in India first. A note states that the feature is rolling out gradually to everyone, so it may take some time before all Gmail users see the option appear in their account settings.
Under the new system, users can select a new @gmail.com username while keeping the same Google account. That means emails, contacts, Drive files, Photos, subscriptions, and other Google services remain intact. The original email address continues to function as an alias, so messages sent to it will still arrive in the same inbox, and users can sign in using either address.
There are some limitations, however. Once a Gmail address is changed, it generally can't be changed again for a set period, and accounts are restricted to a limited number of changes overall. Some services, such as older calendar invites or shared documents, may also continue displaying the original address for a while.
Until now, users stuck with outdated or embarrassing Gmail handles had to rely on workarounds like aliases, dot variations, or plus addressing.
Being able to properly change a Gmail address without starting from scratch is a long-overdue feature – one that finally brings Gmail closer to what competing platforms have offered for years. I personally look forward to changing mine so it no longer references a once-popular 1990s pop-punk band and niche horror movie from the same decade.
Google hasn't made a formal announcement yet, and the rollout appears deliberately low-key. But for anyone haunted by a username they picked in their teens, this could be the most welcome Google update in a long time.