Bottom line: Google now allows personal users to change their Gmail usernames without losing data or access. The old email address remains as a linked address. Developers should review their integrations.
As of March 31, Google has given U.S. users the ability to change their Google Account username without losing their account, inbox, or data. For developers, this change could have implications for their integrations.
Many people still use old email addresses that no longer match their current identity – whether due to a name change, career changes, or simply because they have outgrown their original username.
With this new feature, the original email address is retained as an additional linked address in the same account when a user updates their username. Both email addresses route to the same inbox. Users can continue to log in with both options as well as send and receive emails.
Google is now expanding this feature to personal Google accounts with @gmail.com addresses, after it had previously been limited to Workspace users.
For developers whose platforms support sign-in with Google or identify users by their email address, this update could affect their integration and may require adjustments.