Gmail Feature Allows Google+ Users to Email You Without Your Addres

Privacy advocates take note, Google is rolling out a new feature to Gmail that allows your Google+ connections to email you even if you've never shared with the sender your email address. The assumption on Google's part is that you're familiar enough with your Google+ contacts to exchange emails, and by implementing this feature, you can avoid situations where you're halfway through an email draft before realizing you never actually exchanged email addresses with the intended recipient.

Now, before anyone goes into a privacy panic, there are some things you should know. First, your email address still isn't visible to a Google+ connection, unless you send that person an email. Likewise, that person's email address isn't visible to you unless they send you an email.

Gmail Setting

Secondly, you're in full control over whether someone can reach you in this manner or not. There's a new setting in Gmail called "Email via Google+ in which you can determine who can send you emails via your Google+ profile. Your options are "Anyone on Google+," "Extended Circles," "Circles," and "No one." By default, the setting is configured to allow anyone on Google+ to reach your.

Google says that when someone in your circles emails you, the email will be filtered into the Primary category. If you don't have them in your circles, the email will end up in the Social category (if enabled) and they can only start subsequent conversations with you if you respond or add them to your circles.

Gmail Google Plus

If you don't see the setting in your Gmail account, hang tight. Google says it's rolling out to users over the next couple of days.