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Google Quietly Nixes Mandatory G+ Integration With Gmail

Posted by timothy on from the maybe-now-I'll-like-it-better dept.

An anonymous reader writes Back in 2012, Google had made it mandatory for new Gmail users to simultaneously create Google+ (G+) accounts. This is no longer so. Following the departure of G+ founder Vic Gundotra in April 2014, Google has been quietly decoupling its social media site from its other services. First, YouTube was freed, then Google+ Photos. Now, anyone who wants to create a new Gmail account unencumbered with a G+ profile can also do so.

3 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Does it matter? by misosoup7 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Even if you had a Google+ account, if you didn't use it, what did it matter?

    1. Re:Does it matter? by misosoup7 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Fair point regarding the Google+ search results. I guess I never really thought about that. I guess it's good that they reversed the result huh?

      Not sure if I follow the real name policy argument. Personally, I understand that people want privacy and there was a huge outcry when Blizzard also required real names as part of their RealID row out. But at the same time I think the issue that both Blizzard and Google wanted to address was cyber-bullying by hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. I think everyone else just got caught in the crossfire because of a few bad actors. In all seriousness, neither Google nor Blizzard really benefits by having your real name. It's not like the earn money by knowing your name, they earn money by knowing your interests. Your name just doesn't give them that. And for them to require real names, there must be something else there. But then again that's just my 2 cents, take what you will.

  2. Good move... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Thank god... This was a TOP google annoyance. You had to be careful when signing up for the forced Google+ that you didn't inadvertently leave your permissions for sharing, +1's etc wide open to the public.

    Not everyone wants every video they've marked to watch later tied back to their email address, tied back to their name on a public profile!

    I never really understood it, it was so anti-customer and I actually reduced my usage of Google+ because of it. Google+'s initial appeal for me was what I felt like a more controlled sharing circles world. But then everything (Picasa web albums and photos, youtube activity) started to link into the profile. UGH! I've never posted a Google+ update since, even though I liked the way they handled photo's.