GoKawiilSome folks are looking to ditch Google entirely as the company embraces AI even further, including its transformation of Search into an AI-first experience. It won't necessarily be easy for everyone to decouple themselves from Google's services but some rivals are offering offramps. DuckDuckGo, for instance, said it saw "a sustained surge" of installs after Google announced its Search overhaul. Proton, meanwhile, is looking to help folks transition away from Gmail.
It was already possible to check your Gmail inbox from within Proton Mail using the Easy Switch tool (which supports email importing from other third-party providers too). You can now send emails from your Gmail address within Proton's service as well.
Proton hopes you'll gradually update logins for important services to use a Proton Mail address instead of a Gmail one and then delete your Google account. You might not be ready to give up a Gmail address you've been using for many years just yet. In the meantime, Proton suggests that managing your emails through its service offers much more privacy.
It said that, should you make the switch, "Google will no longer be able to use your email activity, such as which emails you read and engage with, to build a profile about you. When your friends and family use Proton Mail too, messages exchanged between Gmail addresses connected to Proton become end-to-end encrypted, so Google will not be able to read your data anymore." Proton noted that it "strips trackers, ads and spam from your emails" for added privacy.
Gmail data that you import into Proton Mail using Easy Switch includes attachments, calendars and contacts in addition to your conversations (it's also possible to transfer Google Photos and Google Drive files to Proton Drive). Once you've set things up, Proton Mail can automatically pull in any emails you receive via your Gmail address. Proton added that "connecting your Gmail does not give Google access to your Proton Mail inbox, so your privacy remains fully intact and protected."
There are other third-party clients that you can use to manage Gmail messages, including Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird. However, Proton's promise of end-to-end encryption might just be alluring enough for some people to use Proton Mail instead.