Proton Eases the Transition From Gmail to Proton Mail

Proton today announced that its users can now send Gmail-based email directly from Proton Mail. This functionality builds on a previous Proton Mail feature. Easy Switch, which lets you connect Proton Mail to third-party email services from Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others.

“The case for leaving Gmail is well-established,” Proton explains. “Google scans all Gmail activity to build advertising profiles that follow you across the internet. Being logged into Gmail allows Google to follow you across the web and tie all of your activity to you.”

With this new functionality, Proton will import your latest Gmail email messages into Proton Mail and new emails from Gmail will automatically appear in your Proton Mail inbox going forward. This lets you check your Gmail directly from Proton Mail, make sure the service works as you like, and then gradually transition from Gmail.

As Proton explains, Proton Mail strips trackers, ads, and spam from your email, so Google will no longer be able to use email activity, like which email messages you read and respond to, to build a profile about you. And when you interact with friends, family, and other contacts who use Proton Mail too, those messages are encrypted end-to-end, preventing Google from reading your data.

“Unlike Gmail, Proton doesn’t scan your emails, serve you ads, use your data for AI training, or build profiles on your correspondence,” Proton continues. “Your inbox is yours, not a data source. And the more you shift to your Proton address, such as services like Netflix and Amazon, the less Google has on you.”

As Proton points out, this capability is a good interim measure, but it’s best to leave Big Tech entirely if you want to protect your privacy. When you access Gmail through Proton Mail, Google can still read all the email sent through its service, and that can include sensitive private information.

This feature is rolling out gradually to all Proton Mail users. To get started, connect your Gmail (or Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, or Yahoo Mail) account to Proton Mail, which can include contacts and calendar events in addition to email. You can also learn more about this on the Proton support site.