An email message seemingly from Google stating that the Gmail service will be closing down on August 1 has gone viral.
02/25 update below. This article was originally published on February 23.
The realistic-looking email message was posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) and had the headline “Google is sunsetting Gmail.” Addressed to Gmail users, the apparently real statement served to inform all 2 billion account holders that “Gmail is coming to a close” as of August 1 and from this date it will no longer support “sending, receiving or storing emails.”
“Up until August 1, 2024” the email read “you will be able to access and download all of your emails.”
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, lots of people took this very seriously indeed. Not least as there have been genuine stories over the last few months concerning Google deleting old Gmail accounts and new rules to reject certain messages sent by bulk senders to Gmail accounts.
Add to this the fact that Google does have some history when it comes to closing down services that many people find useful – remember Google Stadia, to name but one – the email sent shockwaves across X.
However, eagle-eyed readers would spot soon enough that the posting on X had been flagged as manipulated media. The manipulated media policy states that posts containing media that has been “significantly and deceptively altered, manipulated, or fabricated” are prohibited. It would appear that the statement being circulated had, indeed, been so altered. It was actually a modified copy of a Google statement regarding getting rid of the basic HTML view in Gmail messages.
Although some can think of such posts as just a bit of fun, such disinformation can cause unwanted anxiety to service users. It could also potentially lead to phishing emails. Google itself responded by posting to X with a message that said: “Gmail is here to stay.”
I have reached out to Google for a statement and will update this article if one is forthcoming.
Update February 25: Although the news that Gmail was closing down proved a hoax, Google has announced that it is closing down another popular service, at least for some users.
Joris van Mens, the Google Pay group product manager, has announced that, for some users, the service will be closing down as from June 4, 2024. The closure will impact those based in the U.S. who use the Google Pay app.
Although the Google Pay app has users across 180 countries and downloads total more than a. Billion, the exact number of users this will impact is unclear. The announcement does, however, confirm that “the millions of people who use the Google Pay app in India and Singapore” will be able to continue to do so.
As for U.S. users, and to “simplify the app experience,” van Mens states that they will be able to continue accessing “the most popular features — tapping to pay in stores and managing payment methods — right from Google Wallet, which is used five times more than the Google Pay app in the U.S.”
Users affected by this service closure will be able to continue to view and transfer balances from their Google Pay account to a bank account even after June 4 but will “no longer be able to send, request or receive money from others through the U.S. version of the Google Pay app.”
