Google did not announce sunset of Gmail, despite online claim

An image spread widely online purports to show Google announcing that it is shutting down Gmail, one of the world’s most popular email services. But the supposed screenshot is a fabrication; the social media user who initiated the hoax told AFP the fake notice was created by doctoring an old message from Google, and the company said the service is “here to stay.”

“Did anyone else get this email?” says one of several February 22, 2024 posts sharing the image on X, formerly Twitter.

Screenshot from X taken February 23, 2023

The headline on the apparent notice says: “Google is sunsetting Gmail.”

“After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close,” the text continues, in part. “As of August 1, 2024, Gmail will officially be sunsetted, marking the end of its service. This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails.”

The image and corresponding claims of Gmail’s demise rocketed across X as the tech giant announced it was scaling back the use of Gemini, its artificial intelligence tool, amid backlash over the program’s depiction of Nazi-era troops as people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Within hours, “Gmail” was a top trending topic on X.

But while Google has a history of abandoning products, the company is not scrapping Gmail, which is part of a product package used by more than three billion people globally.

“Gmail is here to stay,” the Gmail account on X said in a February 22 post rebuffing the rumors (archived here).

Google previously said on its support page that it was getting rid of the service’s basic HTML version and transitioning all customers to the “Standard View” that most use (archived here).

AFP reached out to Google for additional comment, but no response was forthcoming.

How the hoax started

The viral claim that Google was fully eliminating Gmail started with an X user named “SHL0MS,” who told AFP in a series of direct messages they are “a pseudonymous conceptual digital artist” known for blowing up a Lamborghini in a 2022 protest of greed in crypto culture.

After posting the supposed screenshot on February 22, SHL0MS acknowledged in public conversations with other X users that it was a hoax and repeatedly claimed credit for making it up.

Screenshot from X taken February 23, 2024

The artist told AFP they created the fake Google announcement by using the browser’s “inspect element” feature to make changes to a years-old email from Google. AFP independently verified that it is possible to manipulate an email’s display in this way.

The original email announced that Google was replacing its web analytics program. The company sent it April 18, 2022.

Screenshot of an April 18, 2022 email sent to Google Analytics users, taken February 23, 2024

“I consider hoaxes a part of my art practice,” SHL0MS said in a February 23 direct message. “This was intended as an art piece about our societal over-reliance on centralized systems by corporations that frequently make user hostile decisions.”

AFP has previously debunked misinformation about other Google products here, here and here.