Google is famous for many things; for having the most used web search engine on the Internet, for developing Android and for its multitude of applications and services for all types of users. But it’s also known for other, less pleasant reasons, such as shutting down hundreds of apps and services that millions of people around the world depended on. Today it announced the closure of one of these services, Google Pay.
It is for this reason that yesterday the rumor circulated on social networks according to which Gmail will close next August, many people were not surprised; There were many angry users and more than one insult, but very few people actually showed confusion at this supposed decision, accepting that it was entirely possible that it was real.
The fact that so many people so readily accepted Gmail’s shutdown says a lot about Google’s public image; accept that the company is ready to close overnight a service with more than 1.8 billion accounts. And that says a lot about it Google felt the need to calm things downwith a message promoted on X which says: “Gmail is here to stay”.
Will Gmail close?
The first thing to do is therefore to clarify that no, Gmail will not close, at least for now; This is nothing more than a rumor based on a false message originally published on X (Twitter). The post, which went viral after being shared thousands of times, showed a purported screenshot of an official email from Google, in which they announced the closure of Gmail for August 1, 2024.
The text explains that the decision was taken “taking into account the evolution of the digital landscape” and that it was necessary for Google to offer innovative and quality solutions. For this reason, it has been warned that from the date indicated, Gmail will not send or receive messages, nor store them.
The fake message announcing the closure of Gmail
It is easy to believe these false words, because This wouldn’t be the first time Google has tried to shut down Gmail; In fact, he has already tried twice, without success. The first was with Google Wave, an application presented as the “substitute for email” by uniting this technology with the concept of instant messaging, bringing together all communications in one place; Its end was announced in 2010.
Years later, it was the turn of Google+, the social network that unified all Google services in a single application that I used Gmail account that everyone had as a basis. The company proposed a future in which, instead of sending an email, we could contact any person or company directly using this network. Google+ was shut down in 2018 after a massive data leak.
The real shutdown of Gmail
Fortunately, the Gmail shutdown isn’t real, it’s a hoax. But like many hoaxes, it contains an element of truth, which made it possible to share it so quickly. And it’s true that Google closed Gmail… in its basic version. The company announced this move last year, and this new hoax took advantage of the fact that many people had this news fresh in their minds to jump to erroneous conclusions.
The basic version of Gmail was shut down in January
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Closing the HTML version of Gmail (known as “basic view”) was already very controversial at the time. This was the original version of Gmail, which did not have the latest features such as new design or smart features; but that made it lighter and easier to use on modest computers and connections.
As part of a general “clean-up” of the company carried out throughout 2023, which also affected services such as Stadia, Google Podcasts and Google Domains, the basic version of Gmail It was closed last January. The vast majority of Gmail users were not affected, and probably will not even notice this loss; but it was used to promote this hoax.
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