Third-party Gmail access will change from September
In 105 days time, accessing your Gmail by way of third-party apps and devices will become a lot more secure or disappear altogether. That’s the stark message to Google Workspace end users and admins in an effort to further combat bad actors gaining unauthorized access to accounts. And it’s not just Gmail access that will impacted by Google’s new authentication requirements come September 30, the same applies to Calendar and Contact accounts.
As detailed in a Google Support posting, and an email that was sent earlier in the year, “Starting on September 30, 2024, less secure apps, third-party apps, or devices that have you sign in with only your username and password will no longer be supported.”
Google Cracks Down On Less Secure Apps And Ups Authentication Requirements
It should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who has been listening properly that Google is cracking down on what it calls Less Secure Apps as well as boosting Gmail authentication. Indeed, authentication requirements for all bulk senders of email to Gmail accounts have meant that, from April 1, their emails will have started to be rejected.
Google has warned Workspace admins and users of its intent to crack down on less secure access to … [+]
This move to a more secure future for Google users has now turned its attention to the LSA problem: apps, as well as devices, that use only a basic authentication method of username and password to sign into your Google account.
After September 30, Google has confirmed, that any app that has just this basic level of authentication will encounter errors when attempting to access your Google account, be that for getting your Gmail, Calendar or Contacts information. These errors, Google said, will typically look like “Invalid username or password” or “Unable to login.” Whatever, if you haven’t prepared in advance, your access to Gmail will be denied.
What Google Workspace Admins And End Users Need To Do
Google has already removed LSA settings from the Google Workspace Admin Console but users who had access to LSAs before June 15 can continue using them until September 30. Google has warned that you need to ensure your Google account isn’t being accessed by any app or device that only requires a simple username and password combination. To continue accessing your Gmail, Calendar and Contacts after September 30, you should simply sign out and back in again, but this time using the Sign-in with Google option. This should work smoothly enough, but Google does state that it may be required to remove and then re-add your Google account to the device in some circumstances.
As part of the changes, Google Sync is also being discontinued. Google has stated that because Google Sync doesn’t support OAuth authentication, two-factor authentication or security keys it means your data is left less secure. “With more secure alternatives available, we recommend that you transition off Google Sync as soon as possible,” Google said, “ahead of the less-secure app access shutdown.”