Google Adding Multiple Sign-In For Gmail, More

Google

Google is rolling out a new feature dubbed multiple sign-in that lets users cycle through up to three of their registered Google accounts without having to re-enter their username and password. The new capability, which isn't necessarily single sign-on, but close, also lets users switch from one account or service to another using just a drop-down menu so they can jockey between and access multiple Gmail, Calendar, Voice, Reader, Code, App Engine or Sites accounts. Other Google offerings, including Google Docs and Google Wave, don't yet support multiple sign-in.

The unofficial Google Operating System Blog was the first to catch the new multiple sign-in feature and is not yet available to all users. Users whose accounts have multiple sign-in available will see a new option for it on their Google accounts page.

Before Google made the change, users with two Gmail accounts, for example, would have to log out of one in order to be able to log in and access the other. Now, a Gmail user with more than one account can access other accounts from the drop-down menu, while the currently active account is displayed across the top.

"If you use multiple sign-in, the first account you sign in to will be your default account. If you visit other Google products that don't support multiple accounts after you've signed in, you will automatically sign in to your default account for that product. If you sign out of any Google product while signed in to any account, you will be signed out of all your Google Accounts at once," Google wrote in its Google Help Center.

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Google Help Center notes that users can't sign into multiple accounts at the same time using the same browser because Google uses sign-in cookies that only allow users to sign in with one account at a time.

The unofficial Google Operating System blog noted that there are a few minor issues with the multiple sign-in feature. For example, the feature is not available on mobile devices, Google Calendar's gadget doesn't work properly in Gmail, and users can no longer use offline Gmail and offline Google Calendar.

According to Google, users can go to "personal settings" in the "my account" tab and click on "change" next to "multiple sign-in." From there, follow the instructions.