Google Is Ending Gmail Support for Third-Party Email Accounts: What Businesses Need to Know

Updated: September 2026 | Google has announced these changes will take full effect in January 2027.

Google is making an important change to Gmail that may affect businesses using Gmail to manage email addresses hosted by another provider. Starting in January 2027, Gmail will discontinue several features used to integrate third-party email accounts with Gmail, including “Check mail from other accounts” using POP, Gmailify, and “Send as” for third-party email addresses. For businesses that have been using a free Gmail account as the central interface for a custom-domain business email address, now is a good time to review how email is configured and plan a transition.

What Is Changing?

For years, Gmail has allowed users to connect an email account hosted somewhere else. For example, a business might have:

john@company.com

hosted by a traditional web or email hosting provider. Instead of checking that provider's mailbox directly, the user could configure a Gmail account to periodically retrieve messages from the external mailbox using POP.

Gmail called this feature:

Check mail from other accounts

Businesses could also configure Gmail's Send as feature so messages appeared to come from the company's custom-domain address rather than the underlying Gmail address. This created a convenient way to use Gmail as the interface while keeping email hosted somewhere else.

Google is now retiring this configuration for third-party accounts.

When Is This Happening?

Google has announced a transition period during 2026.

Existing users may continue using these features during the transition, although Google may restrict new configurations.

The major deadline is:

January 2027

At that point, Gmail will fully remove third-party Send as, Gmailify, and POP-based Check mail from other accounts functionality.

Businesses currently depending on this configuration should therefore avoid waiting until the last minute to decide what replaces it.

What Is “Check Mail From Other Accounts”?

This feature allowed Gmail on the web to retrieve messages from another mail server using the POP protocol.

The external email account might be hosted by:

A web hosting company

An Internet service provider

A traditional email provider

A private mail server

Another third-party hosting service

Gmail periodically connected to that server, downloaded new messages, and placed them into the user's Gmail inbox.

The user could therefore manage several email addresses from one Gmail interface.

After the change, Gmail on the web will no longer continuously retrieve third-party email through this POP-based system.

Google Is Also Removing Third-Party “Send As”

This is another important part of the announcement.

Some businesses use Gmail not only to retrieve external email but also to send messages using their custom business address.

For example, an employee may log into:

companyemployee@gmail.com

but customers see:

employee@company.com

Gmail's third-party Send as functionality helped make that possible.

Google says support for sending as third-party, non-Google email accounts will also end in January 2027.

This means businesses using both POP retrieval and third-party Send as should evaluate both incoming and outgoing email, not simply how messages are received.

Does This Mean Gmail Is Ending POP and IMAP?

No.

This distinction is important.

Google is not eliminating POP and IMAP entirely.

The change specifically affects Gmail's ability to use POP to fetch email from third-party accounts into Gmail on the web.

Third-party email clients can still access Gmail through supported protocols.

Applications such as:

Microsoft Outlook

Apple Mail

Mozilla Thunderbird

and other email clients can continue to connect to supported email services.

The Gmail mobile application can also continue to access third-party accounts.

Can I Still Use a Third-Party Account in the Gmail Mobile App?

Yes.

Google says third-party account support in the Gmail mobile application will continue.

Users can still add supported non-Google accounts to Gmail on:

Android

iPhone

iPad

The significant limitation concerns the Gmail web interface and the discontinued third-party account integration features.

For a business, however, relying on one workflow on mobile and another on desktop may not be the most practical long-term configuration.

It is worth evaluating the entire email environment.

Will My Existing Imported Email Disappear?

No.

Google says messages that have already been imported into Gmail will remain in the Gmail mailbox.

The change affects the continuing ability to fetch and synchronize new messages through the discontinued functionality.

This is still a good opportunity for businesses to review where historical email is stored and whether important business email is appropriately retained and protected.

Can I Forward My Business Email to Gmail Instead?

In many cases, yes.

Google says automatic forwarding from a third-party provider to Gmail can continue.

Instead of Gmail periodically connecting to the external mailbox and retrieving messages through POP, the external email system forwards incoming messages to the Gmail address.

That can solve the receiving side of the problem in some environments.

But businesses need to consider the entire workflow.

Receiving a forwarded message is not necessarily the same thing as having a complete business email configuration.

Questions remain about:

Sending from the business address

Sent-mail storage

Spam filtering

Authentication

Message retention

Mailbox administration

Employee onboarding and offboarding

Business continuity

Email backup

For some businesses, forwarding may be perfectly adequate.

For others, this announcement may be a good reason to move to a dedicated business email platform.

Option 1: Use Your Existing Email Provider Directly

The simplest option may be to continue hosting email where it is now and use the provider's own webmail or supported email applications.

A business could configure its account in applications such as Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird using the provider's supported connection methods.

This avoids depending on Gmail as an intermediary.

Whether this is the best solution depends on the quality, reliability, security, and administration capabilities of the existing email provider.

Option 2: Use a Desktop Email Client

Another option is to manage multiple accounts from a dedicated email application.

Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and other clients can connect directly to supported email servers.

Instead of:

Mail server → Gmail POP retrieval → User

the client communicates directly with the mail service:

Mail server → Email client → User

This can provide a straightforward solution for users who want multiple accounts in one application without migrating the underlying email service.

Option 3: Move the Business Domain to Google Workspace

Businesses that specifically want the Gmail interface can consider moving their custom-domain email to Google Workspace.

Instead of using a free Gmail account to retrieve:

employee@company.com

from another provider, the company can host the domain's email directly with Google Workspace.

Employees can then use Gmail natively with their actual business identities.

For example:

employee@company.com

becomes the actual Google Workspace account rather than an address being retrieved by a separate Gmail account.

Google has stated that its changes to third-party Send as do not affect Google Workspace aliases and other Google-hosted identities.

Option 4: Move to Microsoft 365

Businesses are not limited to Google.

Microsoft 365 provides another mature business email platform through Exchange Online.

A custom business domain can be configured so addresses such as:

employee@company.com

are hosted directly through Microsoft 365.

Employees can then use Outlook, webmail, mobile devices, and other supported applications while the organization receives centralized account administration and access to Microsoft's broader business ecosystem.

For businesses already using Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, or other Microsoft products, this may be a natural time to evaluate whether Microsoft 365 makes sense.

Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?

There is no universal answer.

Businesses that strongly prefer Gmail and Google's browser-based environment may find Google Workspace the most natural replacement.

Businesses already centered around Outlook, Microsoft Office, Windows, Teams, and OneDrive may prefer Microsoft 365.

Other organizations may have no reason to migrate at all and can simply continue using their existing email provider with an appropriate mail client.

The correct solution depends on how the business actually uses email and other technology.

Don't Forget About Email Migration

Changing email platforms involves more than creating a new mailbox.

A proper migration may need to consider:

Existing email

Folders

Contacts

Calendars

Aliases

Shared mailboxes

Distribution lists

Mobile devices

Desktop email clients

User accounts

Historical messages

DNS configuration

and potentially other applications that send email using the business domain.

Planning the migration before the old configuration stops working can significantly reduce disruption.

Your Domain's DNS Records Will Matter

Moving business email between providers usually requires changes to the domain's DNS configuration.

This may include records such as:

MX

SPF

DKIM

DMARC

MX records determine where incoming email for the domain should be delivered.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are involved in authenticating email and helping receiving systems determine whether messages claiming to come from your domain are legitimate.

Incorrect DNS configuration can result in missing email, delivery problems, messages being marked as spam, or authentication failures.

Email migration should therefore include proper DNS planning and verification.

This Is Also a Good Time to Review Email Security

A forced technology change can be inconvenient, but it also creates an opportunity to improve an older email configuration.

Businesses moving away from legacy Gmail POP retrieval should consider reviewing:

Multi-factor authentication

Password security

Administrator access

Spam and phishing protection

SPF

DKIM

DMARC

Employee access

Inactive accounts

Email retention

Backup and recovery

Simply recreating a ten-year-old email configuration on another platform may preserve problems that should have been corrected years ago.

Don't Wait Until January 2027

If your business currently uses Gmail's Check mail from other accounts or third-party Send as functionality, there is no need to panic.

There is time to plan.

But there is also little benefit in waiting until the feature stops working.

A planned migration allows time to:

Identify affected accounts

Choose the appropriate replacement

Back up important information

Configure the new service

Update DNS

Test mail delivery

Configure computers and phones

Train users if necessary

and verify everything before the old configuration is retired.

Wireknots Can Help Businesses Make the Transition

Wireknots can help Chicago-area businesses review existing email configurations and transition away from Gmail's discontinued third-party email features.

Depending on the business environment, that may include:

Evaluating the current email setup

Configuring Outlook, Apple Mail, or other email clients

Migrating custom-domain email to Google Workspace

Migrating business email to Microsoft 365

Migrating existing messages and accounts

Configuring business domains and DNS

Setting up MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records

Configuring multi-factor authentication

Setting up computers and mobile devices

Reviewing email security

Testing incoming and outgoing mail

The objective isn't simply to replace a discontinued Gmail feature.

It is to use the transition as an opportunity to build a business email configuration that is reliable, secure, and appropriate for how your organization works.

Need help preparing for Google's Gmail changes? Contact Wireknots if your business currently relies on Gmail to check or send email through a third-party custom-domain account.

Microsoft 365, Google Workspace & Cloud Services