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F
rom 30 May, Google will prevent
you from using certain third-
party apps and devices to access
your Gmail account. We know
from your recent emails that many of you
are concerned about this change, and
how it will affect your ability to access
messages from your Gmail account using
a desktop program such as Outlook.
Frustratingly, after dropping its
bombshell announcement in users’
inboxes at the beginning of March,
Google hasn’t offered much help or
advice on the matter. Here we explain
why Google is changing its policy and
what you can do to keep using Gmail
after the deadline.What exactly is Google doing
and why?
Currently, Google lets you access your
Gmail account through a third-party
program by switching on the option to
allow ‘less secure app access’ (see
screenshot above right). This can be
found in the Security section of your
Google account settings (www.snipca.
com/41645), but after 30 May, the option
will no longer be available.
The change is ostensibly for security
reasons, because many Gmail users
currently log into their accounts using
only their usernames and passwords- details that are frequently stolen in data
breaches. By blocking apps that allow
simple but unsafe sign-ins, Google hopes
to make users switch to more secure
methods of accessing their accounts and
reduce their risk of being hacked.
That may sound reasonable and even
sensible, but the blunt way Google
informed affected users left a lot to be
desired. By warning that “you may lose
access to apps that are using less secure
sign-in technology”, and stating that it
would block “less secure” apps that tried
to sign in, Google made it sound as if
users were about to be cut off from their
Gmail accounts and would lose all the
messages and contacts stored in them. It
specifically mentioned that popular
programs such as Outlook will no longer
work with Gmail after the deadline,
leading users who rely on those tools to
fear the worst.
Thankfully, despite Google’s
scaremongering announcement, there
are options available to people who
want to keep using Gmail through a
desktop client rather than the Gmail
website.Sign in using an app password
Some desktop programs, mobile apps and
devices offer a ‘Sign in with Google’
option you can click or tap to access your
Gmail account. This is the case with
iPhones and iPads running iOS 11 or later,
but not with older versions of Outlook,
and is – unsurprisingly – Google’s
recommended login method. If the
third-party tool you use to send and
receive Gmail messages doesn’t provide
this option, you can try signing into your
account using an ‘app password’.
This 16-digit passcode is a form of
two-factor authentication, which Google
now insists on to grant ‘less secure’ apps
and devices permission to access your
Gmail account. To get an app password,
log into your Google account (https://
myaccount.google.com), select Security
in the left-hand menu and switch on
2-Step Verification under ‘Signing in with
Google’. Follow the instructions to enable
the feature for your account, then go back
to the Security page, where you should
now see a new ‘App passwords’ option.
Click this (you may need to sign into your
Google account) and choose Mail in the
‘Select app’ dropdown menu - even if
you’re using a program other than
Windows Mail.
In the ‘Select device’ menu, choose the
device you want to access Gmail on – for
example, Windows Computer – and click
Generate (see screenshot^1 above right)
to get your 16-character app password,
which will appear in a yellow box^2.Google will soon remove this option to allow
less secure apps to access your account11 – 24 May 2022 • Issue 631B E AT Google’s new
Gmail restriction
Google will soon stop you accessing Gmail
through third-party apps it deems unsafe.
Robert Irvine reveals what you need to do to keep
using your Gmail account after 30 May