Gmail is getting blue checkmarks like Twitter's but free

Gmail users will soon see a blue checkmark beside senders that have been verified by Google, hopefully reducing the chances of someone falling foul of scams like phishing.

The new move is part of an expansion of the existing Brand indicators for Message Identification system that is behind something you might already have noticed - some email senders have their company's logo instead of the usual first character of their name. That's all part of making it easier to tell who is real and who isn't, and a new checkmark is part of that program.

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Gmail - image source: Twitter.com/gmail

It's all made possible by strong authentication based on DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), Google says, and the blue checkmark will be immediately recognizable to anyone who ever used Twitter or another social network.

That likening to Twitter is particularly funny considering the fact that Twitter Blue and its own checkmarks can't seem to stay out of the news right now. There's no suggestion that Google intends to charge for these checkmarks of course, a move that's in stark contrast to Elon Musk's social network.

Google says that the new checkmarks are starting to roll out today but you might not see them just yet. They'll globally roll out in the coming weeks with those with personal Google accounts likely to be the last on the list to get in on the act. Google Workspace customers as well as those who are on legacy G Suite Basic and Business plans will likely be the first to notice the change.