The Best Apps to Use After Gmail’s ‘Send As’ Feature Goes Away.
If you’ve been using Gmail to manage multiple email accounts, including addresses from third-party services, you’ll soon need to look for an alternative. Google is discontinuing the “Send As” feature , which allowed users to send emails from external services like Hotmail, Yahoo, and Outlook, as well as custom domains, using their primary Gmail account.
According to Google’s support documentation , the “Send As” feature will be retired in January 2027 for the Gmail web interface and mobile app. You’ll still be able to add third-party accounts on mobile devices, meaning you’ll be able to check your email on iOS or Android, but you won’t be able to send messages from those aliases. (Third-party accounts won’t sync at all on the web.) Google is also phasing out “Gmailify,” which allowed you to add Gmail features like spam protection and inbox organization to third-party email accounts, as well as receive POP messages on the web. Current users will be able to continue using these features until January 2027, but new users will no longer be able to add them.
This change does not affect the “Send As” feature for other Gmail or Google Workspace accounts, nor does it affect access to Gmail through third-party email clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail if they are already configured via IMAP or POP. You can also continue to forward messages from third-party providers to Gmail.
One workaround is sending emails directly from the service provider’s website or app. Managing multiple email addresses in Gmail is obviously a way to streamline and consolidate disparate addresses in a single interface, so it’s not the most convenient option if you have accounts in Outlook, Yahoo, and Google. Google also warns against using third-party tools and browser extensions that promise a “Send As” feature, as they require access to your credentials and may pose a security risk.
Switch to a desktop email client instead.
If consolidation is your goal, switching to a desktop email client and connecting third-party accounts via IMAP/SMTP is likely your best option. Several options support setting up multiple accounts, including Gmail addresses, and feature the “Send on Behalf of” feature. Our colleagues at PCMag recommend the following email clients for most users:
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Apple Mail: For users of the Apple ecosystem, Mail supports any email address and has robust privacy features.
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Microsoft Outlook: If you’re already a Microsoft 365 subscriber and use Outlook, this is the obvious choice. Outlook is also available for free as a standalone app. It’s especially well-suited for users who need the ability to separate messages into “Focused” folders.
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Mozilla Thunderbird: This is a free, open-source platform from Mozilla, the creators of Firefox. It works with all major email services, but there is currently no iOS app.
These clients also have mobile apps (again, with the exception of Thunderbird for iOS), so you can ensure a consistent experience across devices.