Ask HN: Is there no way to remove yourself from a delegated Gmail account?

67 pointskkoppenhaver3y ago42 comments

For context, my wife was given delegated email access to a Gmail account >10 years ago and no longer has contact with the account admin. She'd like to remove herself from this delegated access but multiple chats with Google support reps have indicated that the only way to do this is by contacting the account admin and asking to be removed.

I've been looking into this and seen multiple forum threads of people delegated access by ex's, relatives who have passed away and the like who are unable to remove themselves from this access even if it's extremely painful.

It blows my mind that this isn't a feature that exists or that Google can't help you remove your _own_ delegated access.

Anyone encountered this before and found a solution?

42 comments

computerfriend3y ago

Trigger a password reset, use delegated access to reset the password, take over the account, remove delegation.

michaelmior3y ago

I believe the delegated access does not allow you to change passwords.

pancrufty3y ago

Sounds good unless you have 2FA

refurb3y ago

Find original email that delegated you access to the account, hit ""To reject this request, please click the link below:"

https://support.google.com/mail/thread/24721429/can-t-remove...

Brajeshwar3y ago

My assumption is that Gmail delegation is possible only with Suite/Workspace. Since she has access to that domain, ask one of the admins to do that. Otherwise, I have no idea how the public Gmail.com account can be delegated (this is a nice feature).

Otherwise, it might be a forward.

In that case, the only option is to add a filter -- if email is marked TO:themail@domain.com, then mark as read, delete, not marked as important.

Ensorceled3y ago

Delegation is possible with gmail.com, I’ve set it up when I created my parents email accounts. This person is trying to turn it off.

I’ve had about a dozen people over the years add my gmail.com account as the delegate and, luckily, Ive been able to decline since it looks like a real pain if I hadn’t.

barney543y ago

What is delegated email access?

samwillis3y ago

It's allows the "delegated" gmail user to access the inbox, and send email on behalf of, another gmail user. It predates GSuite.

It's a useful feature for spouses or if you have a PA. Or in my case where my wife regularly points out she is effectively my and our children's PA...

themitigating3y ago

". Or in my case where my wife regularly points out she is effectively my and our children's PA"

As someone with aspegers it took me 30 years to realize this type of communication. It's so open but without emotion that I assume they don't care. The reality is often they are trying to be nice about expressing their frustration

2 more replies

radu_floricica3y ago

Same with plain forwarding. Yeah, doesn't make sense, after all you had to give permission to set this up - now there's no way to revoke. Just set up a filter and forget about it.

rahimnathwani3y ago

Several comments in this thread suggest solutions make no sense. Perhaps the commenters have never seen how delegated access works in Gmail?

Once you've been delegated access to a Gmail account, it appears in the list of accounts you can switch to, but only within the Gmail web UI.

When you explicitly switch to that account, you see the other person's mailbox. If you never click on the switcher, you wouldn't even remember you had access.

Given the above:

- filtering makes no sense, because the mail items never appear in the same mailbox anyway

- changing password makes no sense, as you can only access gmail and not the whole Google account

ecf3y ago

Receiving a response from Google support is a win in and of itself. Unfortunately they didn’t help out, but most never get that far.

Ensorceled3y ago

Sisyphean Support: sooooooooo close to the top on that one

bluena3y ago

Would suggest to keep delegated access but use automated filters in Gmail so that those mails: - skip the inbox - are automatically marked as read - either deleted or place those mails in a separate and hidden folder

Painful memories should be avoided this way

rahimnathwani3y ago

This is not how delegated access works. It doesn't affect how your own inbox looks at all.

To switch to the delegated mailbox, you need to choose it from the account drop down on the top right.

sebazzz3y ago

Since you're delegated, I suppose you could plant a email in the inbox. I'm not sure if the legality of this though.

nl3y ago

I don't have any particularly useful suggestions, but I wonder if this falls under the can-spam act?

isthisthingon993y ago

I use fastmail and use sieve filtering to reject all emails I don't want. They don't even show up in my email account, there is no record of them.

neximo643y ago

If i'm honest it makes sense the admin should do it. For the person invited to uninvite themselves after is a bit weird.

capableweb3y ago

Why is that weird? If I have an account, that has been given access to some resource, it makes sense that I can remove access to that resource myself, just like the admin could. It is my account after all.

Imagine if someone could invite you to a calendar event, but you can't clear it from your own calendar if you say no. How does that make sense?

heavenlyblue3y ago

There was recently a spam group that would use Google Calendar Events to spam you in your calendar. They stopped for a while ago, seems like Google needs more spammers like these in order to get this problem solved.

n3storm3y ago

"Opt out" of any online service or communications should be a human right

1 more reply

silisili3y ago

I'd think the admin should know if their delegate doesn't want to be so, before the time comes they're needed. The current system seems set up as 'oh, you can't login, let's ask your ex you just had a bitter divorce with for help', which isn't great for either party.

firstcommentyo3y ago

> For the person invited to uninvite themselves after is a bit weird.

If I invite you to my party and you agree, your not allowed to leave before I allow you. Yours sincerely, Vlad Drăculea

KyeRussell3y ago

If you aren’t a Googler, you should be. “[description of their assumed use case], therefore [forcing something on the user]” is the right mindset.

Ensorceled3y ago

As a developer with pretty good product instincts, my first reaction is always “WTH? Why did someone implement this” and then there is someone in the comments who defends the situation and thinks this is the way it SHOULD be implemented.

That’s the best part about these problem reports on HN: It answers those Why would and Who would questions.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

42 comments

computerfriend3y ago

Trigger a password reset, use delegated access to reset the password, take over the account, remove delegation.

michaelmior3y ago

I believe the delegated access does not allow you to change passwords.

pancrufty3y ago

Sounds good unless you have 2FA

refurb3y ago

Find original email that delegated you access to the account, hit ""To reject this request, please click the link below:"

https://support.google.com/mail/thread/24721429/can-t-remove...

Brajeshwar3y ago

Otherwise, it might be a forward.

In that case, the only option is to add a filter -- if email is marked TO:themail@domain.com, then mark as read, delete, not marked as important.

Ensorceled3y ago

Delegation is possible with gmail.com, I’ve set it up when I created my parents email accounts. This person is trying to turn it off.

I’ve had about a dozen people over the years add my gmail.com account as the delegate and, luckily, Ive been able to decline since it looks like a real pain if I hadn’t.

barney543y ago

What is delegated email access?

samwillis3y ago

It's allows the "delegated" gmail user to access the inbox, and send email on behalf of, another gmail user. It predates GSuite.

It's a useful feature for spouses or if you have a PA. Or in my case where my wife regularly points out she is effectively my and our children's PA...

themitigating3y ago

". Or in my case where my wife regularly points out she is effectively my and our children's PA"

2 more replies

radu_floricica3y ago

Same with plain forwarding. Yeah, doesn't make sense, after all you had to give permission to set this up - now there's no way to revoke. Just set up a filter and forget about it.

rahimnathwani3y ago

Several comments in this thread suggest solutions make no sense. Perhaps the commenters have never seen how delegated access works in Gmail?

Once you've been delegated access to a Gmail account, it appears in the list of accounts you can switch to, but only within the Gmail web UI.

When you explicitly switch to that account, you see the other person's mailbox. If you never click on the switcher, you wouldn't even remember you had access.

Given the above:

- filtering makes no sense, because the mail items never appear in the same mailbox anyway

- changing password makes no sense, as you can only access gmail and not the whole Google account

ecf3y ago

Receiving a response from Google support is a win in and of itself. Unfortunately they didn’t help out, but most never get that far.

Ensorceled3y ago

Sisyphean Support: sooooooooo close to the top on that one

bluena3y ago

Painful memories should be avoided this way

rahimnathwani3y ago

This is not how delegated access works. It doesn't affect how your own inbox looks at all.

To switch to the delegated mailbox, you need to choose it from the account drop down on the top right.

sebazzz3y ago

Since you're delegated, I suppose you could plant a email in the inbox. I'm not sure if the legality of this though.

nl3y ago

I don't have any particularly useful suggestions, but I wonder if this falls under the can-spam act?

isthisthingon993y ago

I use fastmail and use sieve filtering to reject all emails I don't want. They don't even show up in my email account, there is no record of them.

neximo643y ago

If i'm honest it makes sense the admin should do it. For the person invited to uninvite themselves after is a bit weird.

capableweb3y ago

Imagine if someone could invite you to a calendar event, but you can't clear it from your own calendar if you say no. How does that make sense?

heavenlyblue3y ago

n3storm3y ago

"Opt out" of any online service or communications should be a human right

1 more reply

silisili3y ago

firstcommentyo3y ago

> For the person invited to uninvite themselves after is a bit weird.

If I invite you to my party and you agree, your not allowed to leave before I allow you. Yours sincerely, Vlad Drăculea

KyeRussell3y ago

If you aren’t a Googler, you should be. “[description of their assumed use case], therefore [forcing something on the user]” is the right mindset.

Ensorceled3y ago

That’s the best part about these problem reports on HN: It answers those Why would and Who would questions.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse