Introducing Gmailify: lets you use a non-Gmail email address but still enjoy Gmail’s powerful features [VIDEO]

It’s been a little over a year since Google unveiled Gmail 5.0 with the ability to add inboxes from your Yahoo or Outlook accounts, and after introducing Oauth support back in June, they’re back with another big update to Gmail. Once again, the focus is on your other email accounts with Google announcing the ability to “Gmailify” those accounts. Google says it’s basically the closest you can get to using an email address from a different provider, but with all the powerful Gmail features you know and love.

The Gmailify experience includes:

• Gmail’s spam protection
• Automatically sorting email based on type (Social, Updates, Promotions)
• Faster search, with advanced search operators
• Travel and hotel reservations appearing automatically in Google Now
• All your mail in one place.
• Better mail notifications on mobile

All this is available from the Gmail app starting today, all you have to do is login into your other email account, and enable Gmailify. Here’s how you do it.

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Gmail app.
2. In the top-left, touch the Menu Menu.
3. Scroll down and tap Settings.
4. Tap the non-Gmail account you’d like to link.
5. Tap Link account.

To unlink an account, follow the same steps but instead of “Link” an account, you’ll see the option to “Unlink.”

After that, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of Gmail — including Google Now cards — using that old “[email protected]” email account you’ve been hanging onto. Oh, and don’t forget, if you don’t like the Gmailify experience, it’s super easy to turn it off.

[Gmail Blog]