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Sunny Li / 6.22.2023Home / Email Security

How to remove a Gmail account from a phone—a step-by-step guide

If you no longer need your Gmail account, deleting it from your phone can stop unwanted mail and clutter. Learn how to remove a Gmail account from a phone.

Having a Gmail account you don’t use connected to your phone can be frustrating. You probably receive countless email notifications from newsletters you no longer care about, which causes clutter and damages your productivity.To help you stay focused, this guide will show you how to remove a Gmail account from a phone, including iOS and Android devices. You’ll also learn why moving away from Gmail might be a good idea and what email provider can fill its shoes.

Switch to Skiff for enhanced data protectionWith Skiff, you can easily manage your email accounts with added privacy and security features

How to delete a Gmail account from my phone—three methods to use

There are several ways to delete a Gmail account from your phone, some of which depend on the device you’re using. Here you’ll see how to:

Remove your account from iOS devices
Delete it from Android phones
Remove the account from the Gmail app

Removing your Gmail account from an iPhone

If you connect your Gmail account to your iPhone, you’ll get emails to the device’s native Mail app, where you can manage them alongside other accounts. You can add or remove accounts from the Settings app, so there you’ll find an option to delete your Gmail account. Take the following steps to do so:

Open Settings and scroll down to Mail
Go to Accounts
Here you’ll see all accounts connected to the Mail app, so tap Gmail to access additional settings

Source: iPhone screenshot

Tap Delete Account at the bottom of the menu and confirm the deletion when prompted

Source: iPhone screenshotFrom the same menu, you can choose which Gmail data you want to sync with your phone. If you only want to temporarily stop receiving emails but might need the account in the future, you can toggle Mail off.

How to remove Gmail accounts from Android

Deleting your Gmail account from an Android phone is quite similar to doing it on an iPhone and involves three quick steps:

Open Settings > Accounts
Tap the Google/Gmail account you want to remove
Tap Remove Account and confirm your choice

Note that Android is Google’s operating system, so, naturally, that the company wants you to use their accounts on the phone. That is why removing your Google account doesn’t only delete Gmail but also other connected services and data. It would be the same as removing an iCloud account from an iPhone.Google confirmed that the only way to stay signed out of Gmail on Android is to remove the entire Google account, so it might be a good idea to back up your data beforehand.

How to delete an account from the Gmail app

Besides removing your Gmail account from the device’s settings, you can do it from the provider’s app. The following steps show how to delete an account from the iOS app:

Open the Gmail app and tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner
Tap Manage accounts on this device (not to be confused with the Manage your Google Account option above it, which will be explained later)
Select Remove from this device and confirm the removal

Source: Gmail screenshotThe steps are slightly different on the Android version of Gmail:

Tap the hamburger icon and go to Settings
Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner and go to Manage Accounts
Choose the account you want to remove and tap Remove account

Removing a Gmail account from your phone doesn’t delete the account itself, regardless of your chosen approach. If you want to delete your Gmail account completely, you must take some extra steps.

How to delete a Gmail account permanently from mobile apps

iOS and Android versions of Gmail’s app let you delete your account in a similar way, so we’ll use the former to outline the steps:

Open the Gmail app and tap your profile icon
Tap Manage your Google Account
Go to Data & privacy and scroll down to Download or delete your data
Tap Delete a Google service
Enter your Google account password to verify your identity
Tap the bin icon next to Gmail
Choose an email address to which you want to receive a verification email to confirm the deletion
Sign into your chosen account and verify it

When you complete the verification process, your Gmail account will be deleted. Other Google services will still be active, so you can delete them separately by following the above steps. If you don’t want to use any of Google’s services anymore, you can delete your entire Google account.Note that if you use Android, this would mean that you can no longer download anything from the Play Store until you create another Google account and sign up with it.

Gmail alternatives worth exploring

There are many reasons to remove Gmail from your phone, most notably:

You’re selling the device and want to wipe it clean
You got a business phone and don’t want to receive work emails to the personal device
You no longer wish to use Gmail

The last scenario is more common than you might think, as people are getting increasingly concerned about online privacy and security. Gmail—like Google in general—isn’t considered secure, so privacy-conscious users often look for alternatives.The first reason for this is Google’s data-mining practices. While Gmail’s functions like Smart Reply and Smart Compose might come in handy, they rely on users’ private data to work.Another issue is Google’s weak encryption. Unless you subscribe to a costly paid plan, your emails are protected with the TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption protocol, which only offers basic protection.In stark contrast, privacy-focused email services use end-to-end encryption (E2EE)—a far more comprehensive security standard. The following table explains the differences between Google’s encryption and a robust E2EE standard according to the two key safety factors:

Factor	Google’s TLS encryption	End-to-end encryption
Encryption point	Emails are encrypted when they reach Gmail’s servers	Each email is encrypted on the user’s device before leaving it
Encryption key ownership	Encryption keys are created by Google and stored on their servers	The key is created and stored on the user’s device

E2EE is a superior variant, but only a handful of services implement it properly. If you want to switch to such a provider, Skiff Mail can be an excellent option.

Skiff Mail—advanced security for everyone

Skiff Mail is an end-to-end encrypted email service that safeguards your correspondence from unauthorized access using two separate keys:

Public key—Used to encrypt the message and shared between the sender and recipient
Private key—Used for decryption and safely stored on the user’s device

As the recipient is the only person with the decryption key, nobody but them can see plaintext copies of your emails, including Skiff’s team, as the service doesn’t have access to the key. Every email reaches Skiff’s servers in encrypted form and is only deciphered upon reaching the recipient’s device.Skiff’s security also wards off various cyberattacks. On the off chance that someone intercepts your message, they can’t see it unless they steal the decryption key from your device. It is highly unlikely to happen if your device isn’t infected with malware.Besides protecting your emails, Skiff secures your entire account with two strong measures:

Two-factor authentication (2FA)—An additional security layer requiring verification via the Authenticator App
Secure Remote Password—A protection standard enabling zero-knowledge login to let you sign up without leaving any personal information

Access Skiff's integrated ecosystem With a feature-rich productivity suite, Skiff offers an unmatched experience

Robust features at no cost

Strong security isn’t the only benefit of Skiff Mail. The platform offers numerous features that ensure a pleasant and productive emailing experience:

Modern, user-friendly interface without clutter
10 GB of end-to-end encrypted storage
Fast email and text search paired with advanced filtering
Integration with numerous crypto wallets for anonymous communication (including major platforms like MetaMask, Brave, and Coinbase)
Skiff.com aliases for managing emails from multiple addresses in one place
Folders and labels for easier organization

These features, alongside helpful extras, are available with Skiff’s free plan, which should meet an average user’s needs without constraints.

Skiff is open source, so the codebase is available for public review. You can find it on the platform’s GitHub and join the Skiff Discord channel to stay updated. If you want to know more about Skiff’s security measures, check out this whitepaper.

One account, four E2EE platforms

Creating a Skiff account gives you access to three end-to-end encrypted platforms besides Mail—Skiff Pages, Skiff Drive, and Skiff Calendar:

Platform	Overview
Skiff Pages	A document creation and editing tool that lets you collaborate in a safe environment. From a practical text editor to invite-based sharing, you get everything you need to maximize your efficiency
Skiff Drive	An end-to-end encrypted cloud solution that keeps files of all types secure. It also comes with optional IPFS integration, letting you leverage the benefits of decentralized file storage
Skiff Calendar	A scheduling platform that auto-syncs with Skiff Mail and lets you hold video conferences. You can customize the interface to adapt it to your workflow and focus on the features you need the most

All four platforms are available on mobile devices (iOS and Android), so you can stay updated and protect your data when working remotely. You can also use Skiff with MacOS devices and all major browsers.

Get started for free, upgrade as needed

You can create a Skiff account in three quick steps:

Visit the signup page
Choose your account name and password
Start using Skiff Mail and other end-to-end encrypted products

If your needs grow and you require more storage, custom domains, and similar useful features, you can choose from three affordable paid plans and pick the one that suits your budget.

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