Google will force you to switch to the new Gmail whether you want it or not — here's when you'll get it

new gmail

Google recently announced a massive update to its popular email platform. So far, it's given personal account holders and company admins (who run company's G Suite accounts) the choice to leave their Gmail inboxes as-is, or to opt in to the new Gmail, which comes with a new look and a lot of new features. If they don't enjoy the experience, users and admins are welcome to opt back out.

That's no longer going to be the case in a matter of months, as Google announced in a post to its G Suite blog on Tuesday. Users attached to the "old" Gmail and companies wary of the changes will have to get on board, because Google will be pushing the update on all users over the course of the next few months.

To prepare users and IT departments for the inevitable changes, Google laid out a timeline that basically says "this is happening, whether you like it or not." Take a look:

Currently: The new Gmail is only available to users and companies participating in the Early Adopter Program.

"We encourage you to begin testing the new Gmail and preparing your users now," Google says in its blog post.

If you want to get ahead of the curve, opt into the program by going to Settings, checking "Enable experimental access," and hitting Save at the bottom. After a few hours, "Try the new Gmail" should be the first option under the Settings cog. Opting out is done the same way.

July: The new Gmail becomes available to the general public.

All personal account holders and company admins will start to see "Try the new Gmail" under their Settings. And if you're one of those people itching for the upgrade on your work account, here's when things might start to change for you.

Corporate admins will have three options:

1. Transition employees immediately, but give users the choice to opt out.

2. Allow everyone to opt in whenever they want.

3. Stall for four more weeks, at which point it'll no longer be in your control.