Attached to a certain email address that doesn’t end in @gmail.com, but want Gmail features like spam protection and better inbox organization? Now you can have it all.
Google on Wednesday introduced a new tool called Gmailify, which lets you link an existing Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, or Yahoo! Mail account to Gmail so you get “all the bells and whistles” of Google’s email service without ditching your current address. Those perks include Google’s advanced spam detection and blocking, a tabbed inbox that organizes your mail into groups, and Google Now cards that call out things like travel and hotel reservations based on your mail.
If you’re already accessing your third-party email from the Gmail Android app, you’ll just need to enable the “Gmailify” feature and you’re good to go. If you don’t already have a Gmail account, you’ll need to first set one up to try this out; head over to Google’s Support page for more detailed instructions
Once you get it set up, when you sign in to the linked Gmail address you’ll see your messages from the other provider in your mailbox, and you’ll be able to read, reply, and organize your external mail just like you do in Gmail.
“Of course, you’re always in control — so if you ever change your mind, you can unlink your account(s) at any time, and continue to access them through the Gmail app without using Gmailify,” Google Software Engineer Michael Käser wrote in a blog post. “We’re really excited to bring the best of Gmail to more people, and we’re planning to add other email providers to Gmailify in the future.”
Google first rolled out its tabbed Gmail inbox in 2013. The feature groups your mail into categories that you can pick, like Social, Promotions, and Updates alongside Primary, which is reserved for your most important messages.