Google to unveil ‘Shielded Email’ feature to get rid of spam mails: Here’s all we know

Spam messages and emails continue to be a major headache for internet users who rely heavily on these communication channels. Google has been toiling hard to mitigate the issue. In this regard, the tech giant is developing a new feature called “Shielded Email”, which will enable users to mask their real email addresses using temporary email aliases. 

According to a recent report, the ‘Shielded Email’ feature was initially identified during an APK teardown of Google Play Services 24.45.33. The report, through strings of code, infers that this feature provides a limited-time or single-use email alias. These aliases automatically redirect messages to the user’s primary account.

The report also highlights that the Shielded Email feature was found in the ‘Autofill with Google’ menu under Google in Android’s Settings app. However, tapping on the option led to an empty page, indicating that the feature is yet under the development stage. 

As spam messages and emails are an ever-growing issue, the idea of temporary email to shield the personal information sounds feasible. However, details about its implementation remain unclear. 

There are some third-party apps that allow users to create a newly formed email address to sign up for a website that is not well known, or users are unsure of. Google’s Shielded Email feature could prove especially useful, as the company’s autofill service works seamlessly across the Android ecosystem and supports almost every app. 

An interesting aspect to consider is whether these temporary email aliases will use @gmail.com or any other randomly created email addresses. If the Shielded Email feature uses @gmail.com, it could make it challenging for companies to track personal data, as distinguishing between permanent email addresses and their aliases would not be easy. 

In other related developments, Google decided to expand its 'Help me Write' feature for web users as well. Earlier, the feature was available only for mobile users. However, it is important to note that the feature is available only for users who have subscribed to Google One AI Premium.