100% Australian owned and operated

Home › Learn › Gmail’s Send mail as is ending

Learn · Guide

Gmail is ending “Send mail as” and “Check mail from other accounts”: what to do with your domain email

For years the free way to use an address like hello@yourname.com.au was to read it inside a normal Gmail account and reply from Gmail as that address. Google is removing the settings that make that work. Here’s what’s changing, when, and what to do instead.

Last reviewed:

The short version

  • “Check mail from other accounts” (Gmail collecting mail by POP) and Gmailify stopped taking new users after early 2026. People already using them lose them in January 2027.
  • “Send mail as” for addresses outside Google also goes in January 2027, and Gmail may refuse new set-ups before then.
  • An address at your own domain counts as outside Google unless it’s hosted by Google Workspace.
  • Forwarding into Gmail keeps working, and so does the free email forwarding that comes with every Chill domain. What stops is replying from Gmail as your domain address.
  • To keep replying as hello@yourname.com.au, give the address a real mailbox. We’ll add the records for you, free.

What’s changing, and when

Google has announced the change on its Gmail help pages. In its words, “Gmail will fully remove ‘Send as’ for third-party accounts, Gmailify, and POP.”

Gmail's timeline for removing third-party account features After the first quarter of 2026, Check mail from other accounts (POP) and Gmailify take no new users. During 2026 Gmail may restrict new Send mail as set-ups. From January 2027, Send mail as for third-party addresses, Gmailify and POP are removed. Forwarding into Gmail keeps working throughout. After the first quarter of 2026 POP collection and Gmailify: no new users Before January 2027 Gmail may refuse new “Send mail as” set-ups From January 2027 Send mail as, Gmailify and POP are removed
Forwarding mail into Gmail isn’t on the list. It keeps working before and after.
Gmail settingWhat it doesWhat happens to it
Check mail from other accountsGmail signs in to another mailbox by POP every so often and copies new mail into your Gmail.No new users since early 2026. Removed January 2027.
GmailifyLinks an outside account to Gmail so its mail gets Gmail’s spam filtering and inbox tabs.No new users since early 2026. Removed January 2027.
Send mail asLets you pick hello@yourname.com.au in the From line when you write in Gmail.Removed January 2027 for addresses outside Google. New set-ups may be refused before then.

Does it affect your domain?

Google’s examples mention Yahoo and Outlook addresses, but the rule is about any address Gmail doesn’t host. An address at your own domain is one of them, unless the domain’s mail is run by Google Workspace. Google’s advice to businesses in this position is to “use Google Workspace for a custom domain” or a desktop mail app.

To check, open Gmail on a computer:

  1. Click the gear icon, then See all settings.
  2. Open the Accounts and Import tab.
  3. Look under Send mail as and Check mail from other accounts.

If your domain address is listed in either place, you’re affected. If neither lists it, nothing changes for you.

Not affected: Google Workspace mailboxes and their aliases, and other Gmail addresses you own. Google says you “can continue to use ‘Send as’ for any Google-hosted identities”.

What keeps working

  • Forwarding into Gmail. Google’s own replacement for POP collection is to “set up automatic forwarding with your other email provider”. With us, email forwarding is included with every domain: open the domain in your dashboard and choose Email forwarding.
  • The Gmail app on your phone. Google says you “can continue to add and use non-Google accounts in the Gmail mobile app as you do today.” The app signs in to the real mailbox, so replies go out as that address.
  • Desktop mail apps. Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird can all read a mailbox at your domain, alongside your Gmail.

What goes is the in-between setup: mail forwarded into Gmail on a computer, with replies sent from Gmail pretending to be the domain address.

Your options

1. Keep forwarding, and reply from Gmail

Free, and nothing to set up beyond the forward. Mail to hello@yourname.com.au still lands in your Gmail inbox. Your replies come from your @gmail.com address, so the person you’re writing to sees it.

That’s fine for an address that mostly receives: a contact form, a spare domain, a hobby site. Forwarded mail can also fail SPF and land in spam now and then, so it’s not ideal for an address customers rely on.

2. Give the address a real mailbox

A mailbox at your domain sends and receives as hello@yourname.com.au with no tricks, and passes the SPF and DKIM checks other mail services look for. You can read it in the Gmail app on your phone, in the provider’s own app or webmail, or in a desktop mail app.

Don’t set up “Send mail as” now. Gmail may already refuse a new one, and any that work stop in January 2027. If you’re choosing today, go straight to forwarding or a mailbox.

Switching to a mailbox, step by step

  1. Pick a provider and create the mailbox for hello@yourname.com.au.
  2. Add the records the provider gives you on your domain’s DNS page: usually MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Email and your domain explains what each one does. The new MX records replace Chill email forwarding for that domain, because mail can only be delivered to one place.
  3. Send yourself a test from another account and check it arrives in the new mailbox.
  4. Add the mailbox to your phone and computer. In the Gmail app, tap your profile picture, then Add another account. Choose your provider, or Other and the IMAP settings it gives you.
  5. Tidy up Gmail. Once the new mailbox is receiving, remove the old entries under Send mail as and Check mail from other accounts, so nobody replies through a setting that’s about to disappear.

Want a copy of new mail in your Gmail too? Most providers can forward a copy on. Read and reply from the mailbox, though, so your replies keep coming from your domain.

At Chill Domains. Email forwarding is included with every domain, and it keeps working with Gmail after January 2027. If you choose a mailbox provider, reply to any of our emails with the records it gives you, and we’ll add them for you at no charge. If you just need a simple inbox at your domain, our optional Axigen mailbox works in the Gmail app on your phone.

Common questions

Will I stop getting email in January 2027?
Not if it’s forwarded. Forwarding into Gmail isn’t changing. If Gmail collects your mail with “Check mail from other accounts”, that stops, so switch the address to forwarding or a mailbox before then.
Does this affect Google Workspace?
No. Google says “Send as” keeps working for Google-hosted addresses, including Workspace aliases and other Gmail addresses you own.
Can I still read my domain email in the Gmail app?
Yes, if the address has a real mailbox. Google says you can keep adding non-Google accounts to the Gmail mobile app. The app signs in to the mailbox directly, so it doesn’t rely on the settings being removed.
What do people see when I reply from Gmail?
Your @gmail.com address. Even while “Send mail as” still works, Google notes that Outlook users may see “yourname@gmail.com on behalf of” your domain address, and out-of-office replies can give your Gmail address away.
Can I keep Chill email forwarding and add a mailbox?
Not on the same domain. Both need the domain’s MX records, and mail can only be delivered to one place. Most mail providers can forward a copy on to another inbox if you need it.
Can you set it up for me?
Yes, at no charge. Reply to any of our emails and tell us what you want: forwarding to your Gmail, or the records from your new mail provider. We’ll add them and let you know when they’re live.

Sources

All read on 27 October 2026.

Ready when you are

Bring your domains over, or start a new one.

Pop in a domain you already own and start the transfer in a few minutes. You’ll need its transfer code (auth code) from your current registrar. There’s no transfer fee: a .au transfer is free unless it’s within 90 days of expiry, when it includes the $20 renewal. New domain instead? Search for it and pay by card at checkout.

Transfer a domain in Search a new domain