From January 2027 on Gmail a function will be eliminated which, despite being little known to the general public, has over the years become a rather useful tool for those who manage multiple email addresses. Google has indeed announced that the “Send as” feature will no longer be available for third-party email accounts, like Yahoo and Outlook. In practice, if today you use Gmail to send messages with a Yahoo, Outlook, Hotmail or custom domain appearing as the sender, from 2027 this possibility will no longer exist, neither on the Web version nor on the Gmail app for Android and iPhone.
While on the one hand Google continues to enrich the service with new functions, including those based on artificial intelligence, on the other hand it is eliminating tools which, according to the Mountain View company, require too much maintenance compared to their use. In fact, in the official documentation, Google explains:
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that Gmail remains secure, efficient, and easy to use, we sometimes have to make the difficult decision to discontinue features that require disproportionate maintenance resources.
What is the “Send as” function for?
If you are only now hearing about this feature, we will take this opportunity to explain what it is. Basically a tool that allows you to set up an email address in Gmail that is different from your @gmail.com account and use it to send messages. This way it was possible manage addresses belonging to other services from a single interfacehow Yahoo, Outlook or Hotmailor boxes associated with a personal domain, without having to access the respective mail services every time. For those who received the message, nothing changed: the chosen address always appeared as the sender, even if the email was written and sent directly from Gmail.
From January 2027 this possibility will be eliminated for all third-party email addresses. However, Google specifies that the change will not affect aliases between Gmail accounts (an alternative address linked to the same mailbox, which allows you to receive and, in some cases, send messages under a different name without creating a new account) nor the “Send As” feature available in Google Workspace.
The news will not be limited to sending messages. Google will also eliminate the ability to add or sync third-party email accounts in the web version of Gmail. In practice, it will no longer be possible to configure a Yahoo or Outlook account from the browser to manage it directly within the Gmail interface. On mobile applications, however, support for multiple accounts will remain available: you will continue to consult emails from external mailboxes, but it will no longer be possible to send new messages using those addresses.
There is also one of the functions destined to disappear Gmailifya tool that allowed some of the typical features of the Google service to be applied to non-Gmail accounts, such as the anti-spam filter, i.e. the system that automatically recognizes and blocks unwanted messages, and the intelligent organization of incoming mail. It will also be abandoned mail retrieval via POPa protocol that allows email programs to download emails from a server to your device. Thanks to this system it was also possible to collect messages from other compatible services in Gmail, but this method will be definitively eliminated.
The alternatives suggested by Google and user criticisms
For those who still use these features, Google has suggested some alternatives. You will be able to continue sending messages from third-party addresses using a email client installed on your computer, such as Thunderbird or Outlook, relying directly on the your provider’s mail service or by choosing a paid Google Workspace plan.
All this has sparked debate especially among more experienced users, who for years have been using Gmail as a control center to manage multiple personal addresses and domains. Some on Reddit users criticized the decisionarguing that it will make administering email from a single platform more complicated. Some also believe this may encourage users to switch to paid services like Google Workspace or the custom domain solutions offered by Google One.
