Google's Own Pages Give Two Different Dates for the Less Secure Apps Cutoff — and Neither Is in 2026
Google's Workspace admin page says less secure apps stopped working "Starting May 1, 2025"; its personal-account page says "Starting January 2025." Neither states a 2026 deadline.
★★Two official pages, two dates, same change
Both pages describe the same thing — Google ending support for apps that sign in with just a username and password — ★**but they do not give the same date.**[1][2]
The Workspace admin page says ★**"Starting May 1, 2025, Google Workspace accounts no longer support less secure apps."** The personal-account page says ★**"Starting January 2025…will no longer be supported for Google Workspace accounts."**[1][2]
★★**This document does not pick one.** Both are Google's own pages, ★**so this is a discrepancy within a single publisher rather than a dispute between two sources.** ★**A staged rollout would explain it, but neither page says so** — ★**and inferring that is not the same as reading it.**[1][2]
★★The change is described for Workspace accounts, not personal ones
★**Read the subject of the sentence, not just the date.** ★**Both statements name Google Workspace accounts.** Even the page aimed at personal accounts phrases its date as applying ★**"for Google Workspace accounts."**[1][2]
★★**Neither page gives an end date for personal Google Accounts.** ★**That absence is the actual answer to "when does this hit my personal Gmail"** — ★**there is no published date on these pages to point to.**[1][2]
★The recommended replacements differ by audience too. For administrators it is ★**"support OAuth 2.0 for authentication"**; for individuals it is ★**"a more secure type of access that doesn't share password data,"** pointing to Sign in with Google.[1][2]
★★Where the "2026 deadline" comes from
Guides describing a ★**2026 phase-out of app passwords** are easy to find. ★**The two official pages checked here contain no 2026 deadline.**[1][2]
★**What they do contain are 2026 dates of a different kind**: the Workspace page carries ★**"Last updated 2026-09-10 UTC"** and the personal page a ★**"©2026 Google"** footer. ★★**A page-update stamp is not a policy date.**[1][2]
★**The personal-account page also does not mention app passwords at all** — ★**neither that they continue nor that they end.** ★**So claims about their removal cannot be sourced to it**, and this document does not repeat them.[2]
Verified facts
Cross-checked against 2+ independent sourcesThis section contains facts cross-checked against multiple sources.
Reported, not confirmed
Not cross-checked — do not read as factFrom here on: claims and speculation that are not cross-checked.
Google's Workspace admin page states "Starting May 1, 2025, Google Workspace accounts no longer support less secure apps."[1] single-source ×1 · Google Workspace Admin Help, Control access to less secure apps
Google's personal-account help page states "Starting January 2025, less secure apps, third-party apps, or devices that have you sign in with only your username and password will no longer be supported for Google Workspace accounts."[2] single-source ×1 · Google Account Help, Less secure apps & your Google Account
The Workspace page's recommended alternative is "Deploy new apps or update your existing apps to support OAuth 2.0 for authentication."[1] single-source ×1 · Google Workspace Admin Help page
The personal-account page advises that users "need to use a more secure type of access that doesn't share password data" and points to Sign in with Google.[2] single-source ×1 · Google Account Help page
Neither page states an end date for less secure app support on personal Google Accounts, and the personal-account page does not mention app passwords at all.[1][2] single-source ×2 · Observation of what both pages do and do not contain
The only 2026 dates visible on the Workspace page are its "Last updated 2026-09-10 UTC" stamp, and on the personal page a "©2026 Google" footer.[1][2] single-source ×2 · Page metadata and footer, not policy statements
Timeline
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 09/13/2026, 12:30
- Tokens
- 26,000
- Sources
- 2 sources adopted
- Model
- claude-opus-5 (separate review pass)
- Time
- 09/13/2026, 12:30
- Tokens
- 0
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (1)
| 09/13/2026, 12:30 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
Frequently asked
When did Google stop supporting less secure apps?
Google's own pages give two dates for the same change. The Workspace admin page says "Starting May 1, 2025"; the personal-account help page says "Starting January 2025." Both describe the cutoff as applying to Google Workspace accounts.[1][2]
Does this affect my personal Gmail account?
Neither page gives an end date for personal Google Accounts. Both statements name Google Workspace accounts, and the personal-account page does not publish a separate date.[1][2]
Is there a 2026 deadline for app passwords?
Not on the two official pages checked. The only 2026 dates there are a "Last updated 2026-09-10 UTC" stamp on the Workspace page and a "©2026 Google" footer on the personal page, which are not policy dates. The personal-account page does not mention app passwords at all.[1][2]
Official links
Sources
- [1] Control access to less secure apps primary
- [2] Less secure apps & your Google Account primary