Google will start showing a blue checkmark next to senders’ names on Gmail to verify their identity, the company announced Wednesday. New blue checkmarks will automatically appear next to companies that have adopted existing Gmail Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).
The BIMI feature, which was introduced in 2021, requires senders to use strong authentication and verify their brand logo in order to display the brand logo as an avatar in emails. Users will now see a check mark icon for senders who have approved BIMI. Google says this update will help users identify messages from legitimate senders versus impersonators.
Image credits: Google
Once you hover your mouse over the blue checkmark next to the sender’s name, you’ll see a sponsored message that “The sender of this email has verified that they own the domain and logo in their profile picture.”
“Strong email authentication and email security systems help users identify and stop spam, and enable senders to boost their brand trust,” the company wrote in a blog post. “This increases trust in email sources and gives readers an immersive experience, creating a better email system for everyone.”
Blue check marks have made headlines over the past several months, largely due to the chaos on Twitter that began when the Elon Musk-owned social network began selling verification. Last week, Twitter officially got rid of the old blue checkmarks, while a glitch earlier this week brought them back momentarily if you refresh your bio.
Of course, verification tags are not just a Twitter-specific concept, because YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and many other digital platforms have some form of verification. In March, Meta took a page out of Musk’s book and launched paid verification tags, and even LinkedIn recently introduced verification badges.
Gmail is rolling out blue verified checkmarks starting today across Workspace accounts and personal Google accounts, so you’ll likely start seeing them soon.