Plenty of small teams run a shared address like support@ out of one Gmail account. Gmail fetches the mail from the host over POP ("Check mail from other accounts"), and someone answers with "Send mail as". Google says both of those go away for third-party accounts in January 2027.

What is changing

From Google's help pages:

POP fetching: "Gmail will no longer fetch emails from third-party accounts into your Gmail account with POP."

Send as: "You will no longer be able to send mail from third-party email accounts in Gmail on the web or in the Gmail mobile apps."

Gmailify: it takes no new users after the first quarter of 2026, and existing users can keep it until January 2027.

Google calls Q3 and Q4 2026 the transition period. In January 2027, "Gmail will fully remove 'Send as' for third-party accounts, Gmailify, and POP."

Who is not affected

Addresses hosted by Google.…