According to Digital Trends, Google has finally begun testing a feature that lets users change the username of their Gmail address. The company is quietly rolling out this experimental feature, with India as the first test market. The change is managed through Google Account settings and allows users to modify the part of the address that comes before “@gmail.com.” This would let people update embarrassing or outdated addresses without creating a new account from scratch. However, the feature does not allow switching to a custom domain or claiming a username that’s already taken. Google has not confirmed a global rollout timeline or details like change limits.
Why this is a big deal
Look, we’ve all been there. That email you made in 2008 with “xXxSk8erBoiXxX” or your full, awkward birth name and a bunch of random numbers. It’s been a digital albatross around your neck for over a decade. And Google‘s rigid stance on usernames forced a brutal choice: live with the cringe, or go through the herculean task of migrating your entire digital life—emails, Drive, app logins, subscriptions—to a new account. It was a massive pain point that felt oddly punitive for a company that prides itself on flexibility.
The catch and the competition
Here’s the thing, though. This isn’t a magic wand. You can’t just snag someone else’s cool username, and you’re still locked into the @gmail.com domain. So if you were hoping to turn your Gmail into a custom @yourname.com address, that’s a different feature entirely. This move feels like a defensive play as much as a user-friendly one. Apple, with its Hide My Email and seamless iCloud+ custom domains, has been eating Google’s lunch on privacy and flexibility for personal email. Microsoft has allowed Outlook.com aliases for ages. Google’s walled garden was starting to look a bit… rusty. This test is a bare-minimum step to catch up.
What it means for your data
The biggest win is the promise of keeping your data intact. Your 15 years of emails, those thousands of Google Drive files, your YouTube history—it all stays put. That’s huge. But the big unanswered questions are crucial. How many times can you change it? What happens when you try to log into, say, your Spotify or bank account with the old address? Google’s support documentation will be critical, and you can bet they’re using the test in India to figure out these exact edge cases. I think they’ll be very conservative, probably allowing one change with a long cooldown period. They can’t have people flipping usernames like TikTok handles; it would break the internet’s login infrastructure.
Should you wait or jump ship?
So, if you’re sitting on a terrible Gmail address, should you just hold tight? Basically, yes. For the vast majority of people, waiting for this feature—if it rolls out globally—is the smart play. The alternative, managing a complex web of email forwards from an old account to a new one, is a part-time job you don’t want. This test signals that Google knows it has a problem. But remember, they’ve killed beloved features before. Don’t delete that “professional” alt account just yet. Keep it warm until you see the “change username” option staring back at you from your own account settings. After 16 years, what’s a little more waiting?
