On Tuesday, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai encouraged users to refresh their Gmail identities as Google rolled out a long-awaited feature.

Google Rolls Out Gmail Username Change Feature

The feature allows users to change their Gmail usernames — something that has historically required creating an entirely new account.

Announcing the update on X, Pichai said, "2004 was a good year, but your Gmail address doesn’t need to be stuck in it."

He added that users can now pick a new email name while retaining access to their old one. "You’ll keep your old username and you can sign in with both," he noted.

The feature is still rolling out, meaning not all users may see the option yet.

How To Change Your Gmail Address

Users who have access can navigate to their Google Account settings under Personal info > Email > Google Account email and select the option to change their address.

However, there are limitations. Users can only update their username once every 12 months and the newly selected email cannot be deleted during that period.

Google will retain the old address as an alternate login.

Jack Dorsey Calls For Dark Mode Upgrade

The announcement also drew a response from Twitter co-founder and now Block Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) CEO Jack Dorsey, who used the moment to highlight another long-standing user request.

"can we also get auto dark mode on web gmail/docs," Dorsey wrote, pointing to a feature gap that many users have flagged.

A Look Back At Gmail's Unusual Launch

Gmail was first introduced on April 1, 2004, by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Gmail's debut was initially met with skepticism as Page and Brin were known for their playful antics.

When they unveiled the service on April Fool's Day — offering a then-unheard-of 1 gigabyte of free storage — many assumed it was just another prank.

Price Action: Shares of Alphabet rose on Tuesday, with Class A climbing 5.14% to $287.56 and Class C gaining 5.02% to $286.86, with both stocks continuing to edge higher in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro.

According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, GOOG is showing a downward trend in the short and medium term, while maintaining a positive long-term trend, with its Quality score ranking in the 95th percentile.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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