Rest easy, everyone. Gmail is not going anywhere.
Users were sent into a panic Thursday after a viral post on X claimed that the popular email service was “coming to a close.” The rumors were sparked by an email screenshot purportedly announcing Google’s plan to “sunset” Gmail nearly 20 years after its inception.
“We are reaching out to share an important update about Gmail,” the bogus message read. “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.”
The message continued: “This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails. 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.”
The post had been viewed more than 4 million times by Thursday evening, prompting countless users to swiftly back up their Gmail data; however, it turns out that the viral screenshot was nothing more than a hoax pushed by several popular X accounts, including online conceptual artist @Shl0ms
As pointed out by Gizmodo, the screenshot appears to be a photoshopped Google email from 2023, when the tech giant announced its plans to sunset Gmail Basic HTML view. Google encouraged users to get accustomed to the “standard view,” as the OG view would be unavailable after February 2024.
“We’re writing to let you know that the Gmail Basic HTML view for desktop web and mobile web will be disabled starting early January 2024,” the actual message read. “The Gmail Basic HTML views are previous versions of Gmail that were replaced by their modern successors 10+ years ago and do not include full Gmail feature functionality.”
Gizmodo also noted that Gmail has more than 1.8 billion users.
The official Gmail X account definitively let users know that the service "is here to stay."
