Google Now Allowing Name Changes

For years, whenever I logged into my Gmail and saw the email address I made in junior high, I would cringe. I had outgrown it long ago, but I still needed access to the account, so it stuck around. That’s no longer necessary. Whether you’re like me and outgrew the silly email address you made at 13, or you’re dealing with a typo you’ve had to explain for years, Google has finally released an update that fixes one of its most frustrating limitations: the inability to change your personal email address. The nice thing about this is it keeps all your data intact. Essentially it creates an alias for your account so whether people send an email to the old address or new you’ll still receive their message. As of right now this is a staggered release and more people will have access as time goes on. But you may check to see if you’re one of the lucky few by going to myaccount.google.com/google-account-email, then select Personal Information on the left-hand side, click on Google Account email under the “Contact info” section, then look for a button that says “Change your Google account email address.” To combat abuse Google has made it where once you change your email address you cannot change it again for 12 months. However, you will be free to revert it back whenever you want. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an email to go and change myself. But seriously, this was a much-needed update that many users will be happy they can use.