Google Opens Gmail Signups Further

By Nate Mook | Published February 7, 2007, 12:47 PM

After opening its formerly invitation-only Gmail webmail service to anyone with a mobile phone in August 2005, Google removed that requirement Wednesday. Now, anyone can signup for a Gmail account by creating a Google Account.

The mobile phone requirement was designed to prevent Gmail accounts from being created by robots and stop spammers from signing up multiple times. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Gmail signup URL still redirected users to the SMS-based method, but a support article on Google's site says the world is now welcome without an invitation or phone.

Comments

View comments by with a score of at least

I want to create acount in googlemail.com Example@googlemail.com

Score: 0

|

I've created gmail accounts in the past from their homepage without any problems what so ever. The invitation only was dropped ages ago.

Score: 0

|

Hotmail has the wonderful feature of setting up a white list that blocks out all emails from anyone except those that you specifically identify. Gmail doesn't have this. While the spam filter works fairly well, it still sickens me that the box fills up with close to 1500 spams over the course of 2 - 3 days. It wouldn't be a probolem with a configurable white list, which I've submitted requests for, but those requests seem to have fallen on "deaf ears, blind eyes"

Score: 0

|

Sure they do.

Give "youremail"+personal@gmail.com to anyone you want whitelisted. Set up a rule to deny all incoming mail to anything but that address.

Simple.

Score: 0

|

There is already bunch of spam. But filters are very effective so i only get one spam message in inbox every 3-4 months. And even this is more exception than something exact.

Score: 0

|

google is starting to screw up now, i wonder what drove them into making such a decision. Spam galore

Score: 0

|

I agree,that was my first post at the bottom...

To be honest though, I do have Windows Hotmail Account and my spam is almost negligible...So with filters and all, hopefully Google is on the right track.

Score: 0

|

I did try and create a new Google account and then get into Gmail and got this:

You cannot log into Gmail using your Google Account username and password.

Gmail is in a limited test period and is only available to a small number of people who are helping test and improve the service before it is made more widely available.

Score: 0

|

Anyone tried doing it from the google Accounts page?

perhaps getting a Google account now comes with a Gmail account..

dunno. Already got one and don't feel like signing out.

Score: 0

|

Thats odd. When you go to the sign up page, you still have to recieve a text message in order to sign up. When you click on the FAQ 'Can I sign up without the invitation code? Or without a mobile phone?', the documentation states that you can only get an account through SMS or a friend (invite). And the updated date on the page is today.

http://mail.google.com/s...;answer=22245&hl=en

Score: 0

|

"As of Wednesday afternoon, the Gmail signup URL still redirected users to the SMS-based method"

Not now it doesn't.

Score: 0

|

odd because here it is 2 hours after your post and it still redirects you to the SMS based method.

Score: 0

|

Go to http://gmail.com (while signed out if you've already got an account)
Is there a 'Sign up for Gmail' link in the bottom right box?
There is for me, and it works too.
Maybe it's an American thing that you can't get to it?

Score: 0

|

Now that's weird and you are absolutely correct.

There is a link there, but it takes you to the Mobile Phone SMS page.

It could be that this is not available to American's. I do love my gmail account however

Score: 0

|

yay. welcome spammers.

oh well.

Score: 0

|

Microsoft's Ray Ozzie: 'Nobody's going to be 100% open'

The mobile apps ecosystems of the world may converge over time, led by apps being ported over across platforms, according to the Chief Software Architect.

Will Firefox beat IE9 to Direct2D rendering?

Just days after Microsoft executives gave conference attendees a peek at a new rendering technology, a Mozilla contributor revealed he's working on the same thing.

Where there's smoke: Apple warranty stance raises troubling questions

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: Smoking can be dangerous not only for your lungs, it appears, but for your Apple hardware warranty.

The fallacy of Facebook privacy

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: If an insurance company learns something interesting about its client through the Internet, is that snooping?

Microsoft 'worked with Apple' for Silverlight on iPhone, says Goldfarb

By not making such a big deal out of trying to stream video to the iPhone, Microsoft got a big deal out of it, revealed the Silverlight product manager.

Clicker.com cuts through the Web video chaos

In a world where homemade video and Hollywood movies travel the same pipeline, it's good to have a real search engine to cut through the clutter.

A case study in improving software: What Office 2010 can learn from Notion 3

A music composition product gambles with a complete overhaul, in an effort to make headway against two well-known competitors in a tough market.

Kindle 2 update adds battery life, native PDF reader

Amazon has pushed out an update to the Kindle 2 e-reader that lengthens battery life and adds a native PDF viewer.

Safari on iPhone gets competition from a $1 browser app

Apple likes to say it gives iPhone users a full browsing experience, but a new competitor tries to incorporate more desktop browser features.

Action Replay maker sues Microsoft for Xbox 360 'predatory technological barriers'

Third-party video game accessory maker Datel has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft over the Xbox 360's recent Dashboard update.