‘Gmail is here to stay,’ reacts Google, dispelling false rumours of email service's shutdown

livemint.com:

Gmail would cease to "support sending, receiving, and storing emails." This misinformation was widely shared, with some attributing the speculated shutdown to a recent controversy surrounding Google's AI image tool, Gemini, which generated images of racially-diverse Nazi soldiers. Setting the record straight, Google took to social media to reassure users that Gmail is not going anywhere. "Gmail is here to stay," the company emphasized in a post, dispelling the unfounded rumours.

Tech experts also joined the conversation, addressing the misinformation and providing clarity on the situation. It was clarified that Gmail did discontinue its HTML-only version in January 2024, a move unrelated to the rumoured shutdown. The HTML version allowed users to access emails in low-network areas.

However, the standard @gmail service remains fully operational, ensuring users can continue to utilize the email platform without any disruptions. “Gmail discontinued the HTML-only version of its service, as of January of 2024. Standard @gmail works just fine.

Stupid hoax," stated Marsha Collier, an educator in tech. As the tech community works to quell the misconceptions, users can rest assured that Gmail will continue to be a reliable and ongoing part of their digital communication experience. Meanwhile, Google has officially rolled out its highly anticipated Help Me Write feature to the stable version of its Chrome browser with the Chrome M122 update.