Is Gmail shutting down? Google notifies users after viral ‘sunsetting’ hoax

GOOGLE has responded to a viral post claiming Gmail is being shut down.

And the short answer is: no, that’s not true, although one version of the popular site is disappearing.

A fake email screenshot was shared on XCredit: X @SHL0MS

While the prospect of Google shutting down one of the world’s most popular email services seemed doubtful, some believed it could be plausible given the tech giant’s extensive “graveyard” of dead products, such as Stadia and Google+.

The wild hoax was spread on X – formerly known as Twitter – leading to fears that millions could lose their precious emails.

A fake screenshot claimed that “Gmail’s journey is coming to an end” and that the service will face “demise” in August.

The post went viral on social media as users panicked about the future of the site.

But Google released a brief statement dismissing it as a hoax.

“Gmail is here to stay,” the tech giant wrote on X.

Separately, however, one version of Gmail will disappear this year.

And that’s Gmail’s simple HTML view.

Google started moving users who are still using the Basic HTML view to the latest version of Gmail in January.

So if you’re one of the few people still using Basic HTML, you might notice something different, but your Gmail account and everything in it is going nowhere.

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Resists

The move to remove HTML Basic View was met with anger last year when an expert said people who are blind or partially sighted relied on it.

This is because the HTML base view has made using screen reader technology much easier.

“I know a lot of #blind people who use Gmail’s HTML view,” blind technology expert Pratik Patel wrote in an Mastodon after.

“They will not only be confused, but unhappy.”

The Google Graveyard: Apps and services from the past that have died

While Gmail isn’t going anywhere, Google has discontinued a number of products over the years.

According to the website Killed By Google, the number currently stands at 293.

Here are some you might remember.

Google Hangouts
GoogleDuo
Google Stadia
Google+
Google Cardboard
Wage
Google Gaming app
Google Glass
Google Spaces
Nexus