“Gmail Exit” Hoax Brings a Mixture of Humor, Confusion, and Exasperated Correction
To be clear, Gmail is not shutting down, at least not anytime soon.
- Internet denizens have begun spreading an image of an email that falsely alleges that Gmail would shut down on August 1, 2024.
A fake email being spread on X (formerly Twitter) claims that Google is “sunsetting” Gmail in 2024, but this is a blatant hoax.
Internet denizens have begun spreading an image of an email that falsely alleges that Gmail would shut down on August 1, 2024. This quickly led to “Gmail” trending on X on Thursday afternoon through a mixture of humor, confusion, and exasperated correction.
To be clear, Gmail is not shutting down, at least not anytime soon.
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 phased 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 This simplified experience was severely outdated in terms of features, but it served as a decent backup option for those who only needed a bare-bones view of their inbox.
Outside of that minimal change, Gmail will continue to work as expected for years to come. Google is continuing to add new experiences and improvements to Gmail, such as the recent Gemini for Gmail launch.
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.
It is another Google product just going to the graveyard. The company updated its support page to reflect that Gmail will automatically switch to the Standard view after the deadline date.
The Gmail HTML Version
The company is sunsetting Gmail’s basic HTML view, which allows users to look at their emails in a bare-bones state, starting January 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 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,” the email reads.
Even today, when you try the access the HTML version, Google shows a message saying that the version is designed for “slower connections and legacy browsers” and asks you to confirm that you don’t want to use the standard version.
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.
It’s not clear if Google plans to add a mode for low connectivity.
Google is currently focusing on infusing AI-powered features into its products, including Gmail. Last month, the company launched a Duet AI feature to help users write emails.
Last week, it allowed the Bard chatbot to integrate with Google accounts so you can ask questions about email history.
ALSO READ: GOOGLE IS REPORTEDLY ADDING AN AI VOICE FEATURE FOR GMAIL
