New Delhi, Dec. 26 -- Google is preparing to roll out a long-awaited update that could finally free Gmail users from being tied to an outdated email address for life.

The company will introduce a feature that allows people to change their existing Gmail username while keeping the same Google account, data and services intact.

For years, Gmail users have had to stick with the email address they created, even if it no longer reflected their name or identity. Google's new update aims to fix that by allowing eligible users to replace their current @gmail.com address with a new one.

The change applies only to personal Gmail accounts that end with @gmail.com. Work, school and custom domain accounts are excluded.

Importantly, users will not ...