‘Gmail is not shutting down’: Google clarifies after rumours go viral

• 06 Apr 2024

Have you seen a claim on social media that Google is “sunsetting” Gmail this coming August? What appears to be a screenshot from an official Google announcement has gone viral on X, but it’s completely fake. A fake email being spread on Twitter/X claims that Google is “sunsetting” Gmail in 2024, but this is a blatant hoax.

 

The official Gmail account on Twitter/X has indirectly acknowledged the hoax, affirming that “Gmail is here to stay.” To be clear, Gmail is not shutting down.

 

The nugget of truth that makes this particular hoax easier to believe is that Google announced last year that Gmail’s classic “HTML View” would be going away in 2024. This simplified experience was severely outdated in terms of features, but it served as a decent backup option for those who only needed a bare-bones view of their inbox.

 

What’s more worrisome is that people could believe that Google would ever shut down Gmail at all. The company has garnered a reputation for shutting down underused or underperforming apps and services over the years, but Gmail is one of the core pillars of Google. Effectively every Google Account in existence is tied to a Gmail account. Google won’t (and probably can’t) sunset Gmail any time soon, no matter what random people on the internet may want you to believe.

 

The HTML version lacks a lot of features such as chat, spell checker, search filters, keyboard shortcuts, and rich formatting. But it is useful in situations where you are in a low-connectivity area or want to just look at emails without any extra bells and whistles.

 

Outside of that minimal change, Gmail will continue to work as expected for years to come. In fact, Google is continuing to add new experiences and improvements to Gmail, such as the recent Gemini for Gmail launch. Google is currently focusing on infusing AI-powered features into its products, including Gmail.