Google has introduced "Gmailify," a new feature that will allow non-Gmail users to access their Yahoo, Outlook and Hotmail accounts directly from the Gmail app, according to Google's official Gmail blog.
"Gmailify links your existing account to Gmail so that you get all the bells and whistles—spam protection, inbox organization and even Google Now cards based on your mail—without having to leave your current address behind," the post said, adding that users will have the option to unlink their accounts.
Users have to manually enable the feature by linking their outside email accounts to Gmail.
"Many of you would like more of Gmail's powerful features, like spam protection and inbox organization, on these accounts—but don't want to go through the hassle of changing your email address," the post by Google said.
Google also plans to bring in more email providers on to the Gmailify platform in the future. While the feature is currently available only on Android, the post did not outline any plans to introduce it to the iOS platform.
According to Gadgets 360, Google had earlier this month introduced features to enhance the security features of its Gmail service. One of them includes showing a red-coloured broken lock icon on the top-right corner of emails from providers that don't support Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. TLS is a feature that makes communications between online apps and their users secure and prevents eavesdropping.
"You're always in control. If you ever change your mind, you can unlink your account(s) at any time, and continue to access them through the Gmail app without using Gmailify," the post said.
