Tag Archives: Gmail

Is Google Shutting Down Gmail For Good?!

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Is Google shutting down Gmail for good by August 2024?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Google Is Shutting Down Gmail For Good!

A post has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), allegedly posted by the SVP of Product at Google, who claimed that he accidentally fired the entire Gmail team, and ordered it shut down after misreading a message from CEO Sundar Pichai!

Chris Bakke : I’m the SVP of Product at Google ($28.8M TC).

Last night, Sundar asked me to “fire the entire Gemini team.”

I misread his message (insanely bad service at my 7br 11bath cabin in Park City) and I accidentally fired the entire Gmail team.

Gmail…Gemini.

Look at that quickly without your glasses when you’re 7 margaritas deep at the fire pit on a Wednesday and you’d make the same error.

I mean you get how that’s confusing right?

Anyway, I’m rolling with the decision.

Gmail’s gone.

A screenshot of a Google notice about sunsetting Gmail was attached to the post, and it suggested that Gmail accounts would become inaccessible after 1 August 2024.

Google is sunsetting Gmail

Dear Gmail User,

We are reaching out to share an important update about Gmail. After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close. As of August 1, 2024, Gmail will officially be sunsetted, marking the end of its service. This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails.

Why Gmail is Sunsetting

The decision to sunset Gmail has been made with careful consideration of the evolving digital landscape and our commitment to providing high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the needs of our users. In the spirit of progress and adaptation, we are focusing our resources on developing new technologies and platforms that will continue to revolutionize the way we communicate and interact online.

What This Means for You

• Email Access: Up until August 1, 2024, you will be able to access and download all your emails. After this date, Gmail accounts will become inaccessible.

Recommended : Is WhatsApp Going To Charge Backup Storage Fee?!

 

Claim : Google Is Not Shutting Down Gmail At All!

This is yet another example of fake news circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Google Is Not Shutting Down Gmail

Let me start by pointing out that Google is not shutting down Gmail. For one thing – no one received the “Google is sunsetting Gmail” email. There is also no announcement on the Google blog.

There is also an absence of legitimate news and tech media reporting on such a shocking announcement. In fact, all you will find are fact check articles like this, telling you that this is just another example of fake news on X.

There is also the fact that the official Gmail account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a terse response:

Gmail is here to stay

To be clear – Google is not shutting down Gmail. This is just satire / shitposting on X.

Google is itself highly-reliant on Gmail services, and would be in deep shit if Gmail goes down for even an hour, never mind shut down forever.

Recommended : WhatsApp : No More Free Unlimited Backup On Android!

Fact #2 : Chris Bakke Isn’t Google Product SVP

I should also point out that Chris Bakke is not the Senior Vice President of Product at Google in charge of Gmail. In fact, he’s currently working at X, not Google!

Chris Bakke was the founder and CEO of Laskie, a tech recruitment company that X (formerly Twitter) purchased in May 2023. He is currently the Product Lead for X, and is known to be a notorious “shitposter” or “trash poster” on the social media platform.

When Austen Allred, another tech founder, tweeted about the acquisition when it was revealed, Elon Musk said he thought it was a good sign:

Austen Allred : Only fitting that Twitter’s first acquisition in the Elon era is a company run by a notorious shitposter.

Elon Musk : I regard that as a good sign 🙂

Elon is probably going to give Chris a bonus for the millions of views and engagement his new “shitpost” has generated on X. Throw some our way, Chris, will ya!

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Google : You Can Use Gmail For FREE With Custom Domain!

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Google just changed its mind and will allow you to continue using Gmail for FREE with your own domain!

Here is what you need to know!

 

Earlier : You Must Migrate Free Gmail To Google Workspace Subscription!

Google officially got rid of G Suite, rebranding it as Google Workspace and introducing a cloud-based solution that is more integrated and offers real-time collaboration.

At that time, they still allowed people with free Gmail accounts to continue using them, with custom domains. Like adrian@mywebsite.com, for example.

That changed in January 2022, when Google announced that it “will now transition all remaining users to an upgraded Google Workspace paid subscription based on your usage“.

In other words – you must pay Google if you want to continue using Gmail with a custom domain.

Google gave everyone until May to migrate their emails out of Gmail, or pay to continue using it. Then they delayed it to 1 June to give people more time to decide.

But they met with a lot of anger, and resistance. It was not just a matter of migrating emails from Gmail to a cheaper or even free email service like Zoho.

Many people also use the same Gmail account with a custom domain, to sign in for various services including Google services and Android smartphones. They would have LOST the ability to retrieve or change their password, or even login in certain instances.

 

Now : You Can Use Gmail For FREE With Custom Domain!

Fortunately, Google appeared to have realised that trying to blackmail loyal Gmail users (albeit free users) into boosting their profit margins was not only bad press, it was counterproductive.

For example, how will Google manage purchases people made in the Google Play Store? Will losing data from so many people be worth it?

In the end, Google folded and quietly allowed people to continue using Gmail for free, and with their custom domain to boot!

From now until 27 June 2022, you will have the option of signing up to continue using Gmail for free, with your custom domain.

Just head to your account’s Google Admin Console, and you should see this option pop-up. Just click Confirm for personal use, and you are done!

Not only will you get to continue using Gmail for free, and retain your custom domain, you will also :

  • retain access to free Google Workspace services like Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Search, Google Maps and YouTube
  • keep your purchases in Google Play, and data stored on Google Workspace

However, Google “may” remove business functionality, and will not provide support.

If you had earlier agreed to pay for Google Workspace after getting the migration prompt, but wish to switch to this “non-commercial personal use” option, you need to contact Google Support.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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How To Unblock Gmail Restrictions On Outlook & Less Secure Apps

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If your mail app keeps refusing to sync your emails, it is probably because Gmail considers it to be a “less secure app”. Instead of syncing your mail, you get warning messages asking you to login by a web browser. You may already have tried to do that, but your mail app still won’t sync with Gmail. Let us tell you what’s going on, and how to resolve this problem once and for all.

 

Gmail Tightened Security

From July 15, 2014 onwards, Google started promoting OAuth 2.0 over Basic Authentication. Their first step – blocking access to third-party apps that do not support OAuth 2.0. This includes all versions of Microsoft Outlook, even Outlook 2016. This issue also affects other apps like Mozilla Thunderbird, and Apple Mail apps in iOS 6 and older.

When these apps try to sync with Gmail, they will be denied access. Instead, you will get a warning message, asking you to login using a web browser. That won’t work though, because logging into your Gmail account using a web browser won’t enable OAuth 2.0 support in your app.

It would be technically simple for Microsoft to add OAuth 2.0 support to Outlook, but it appears that they are uninterested in helping improve access to Gmail. Until then, let’s show you how to unblock Gmail restrictions on Outlook and other “less secure apps”.

 

How To Unblock Gmail’s Restrictions

The good news is Google did not block access completely. They still allow Basic Authentication for these “less secure apps” to work with Gmail. The only thing is you must explicitly enable Basic Authentication via the Allow less secure apps option in Gmail.

There are two ways to access the Allow less secure apps option. Both require you to login to Gmail via a web browser first. Once you are logged into your Gmail account, go to the following links, and enable access for less secure apps :

Option A – https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps

Option B – Scroll to the bottom of https://myaccount.google.com/security

Whichever method you choose, you will need to replicate for each and every Gmail account you need to sync to Microsoft Outlook, or any app that is considered “less secure” by Gmail.

 

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