Google has updated Gmail with a feature that some of you might not appreciate. Now, simply typing in someone’s name into the ‘To’ field will automatically grab their address from Google+, and, worse, the service is applied to your account by default.
Google announced the feature on its Gmail blog yesterday, and have clarified to The Verge that the feature will be opt-out. The service will roll out over the coming days, and you’ll notice a setting in your Gmail called “Email via Google+”, though the ability to actually use it will “not be enabled until a later date.”
It’s worth us pointing out that, when it does become active, your email address isn’t revealed, and received messages will be dropped in your Social tab rather than your Primary inbox. But still, you could be on the receiving end of unsolicited email.
To opt-out, you’ll need to head into your Gmail settings, find the “Email via Google+” section, and choose your privacy setting — from no one to anyone. Check out the image below, from The Verge, to see what that looks like.
All in, it’s perhaps not the most outlandish of changes to be made by Google, and some people will no doubt find it incredibly useful — but it’s still sure to spark criticism from privacy advocates. [Google, Verge]