Google to Discontinue 'Send as' Feature in Gmail, Impacting Multi-Account Users

Google has announced a significant change coming to Gmail in the next months, and it's not great news for those who use the service to manage multiple email accounts from a single location.

Eliminating 'Send as' Functionality

The company has confirmed that, starting January 2027, it will eliminate the ability to send messages from third-party email addresses, a feature widely used by those managing Outlook, Yahoo, or custom domain accounts without leaving Gmail.

This long-standing functionality allowed centralizing the management of different inboxes into one unified inbox. It enabled responding to a message using the original sender's address without needing to switch apps or log in to another service.

Google has updated its official Gmail documentation to inform that the 'Send as' feature will no longer be available for external email accounts in both the web version and official apps for Android and iPhone.

According to the company, this decision is part of its strategy to maintain Gmail as a more secure, intelligent, and streamlined platform, by eliminating outdated tools that require substantial maintenance efforts.

Other Gmail Features Impacted

The disappearance of this feature won't be the only change. Google is also ending Gmailify, a tool that allowed applying some of Gmail's most popular features to external accounts, such as automatic spam filtering and intelligent inbox organization.

Additionally, the company will stop offering automatic message downloads via the POP protocol from the web version, further reducing integration options with third-party email services.

However, Google has sought to reassure users, stating that not everything will vanish. The mobile Gmail app will still permit accessing the content of already configured external accounts, although responding using those addresses will no longer be possible.

Aliases between Gmail accounts will continue functioning normally, as will the 'Send as' feature available for Google Workspace clients.

The announcement has quickly sparked reactions from users. Many view this decision as particularly detrimental to those using custom domains for personal or family projects and relied on Gmail as their central hub.

Although the change won't take effect until January 2027, Google recommends starting to prepare for the transition. Users who need to continue sending emails from multiple addresses will have to resort to traditional email clients like Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook, or opt for specialized services that still offer this capability from a single interface.