Winding down Google Sync and Less Secure Apps support (workspaceupdates.googleblog.com)

Article summary

Google is winding down support for Less Secure Apps and Google Sync, which will no longer be supported starting September 30, 2024. This change affects all Google Workspace customers and requires third-party apps to use OAuth for authentication. Existing users can continue to use Less Secure Apps until the cutoff date, after which they will need to switch to OAuth or use an App Password. The change aims to improve security by phasing out password-only access to Google Accounts.

Main themes

• Google Sync deprecation
• OAuth adoption
• security improvements
• Legacy system support
• App-specific passwords
• Trust in Google
• OAuth complexity
• Refresh token expiration

What commenters say

• The removal of Less Secure Apps support is a security improvement, but may cause inconvenience for some users.
• App-specific passwords can still be used as an alternative to OAuth, minimizing the blast radius in case of a compromise.
• Some users are concerned about the complexity of OAuth and the potential for automation to break.
• The change may disproportionately affect users who rely on third-party apps or have legacy systems that do not support OAuth.
• Trust in Google and its handling of user data is a concern for some users, who prefer to use alternative services or local clients.
• The use of OAuth is seen as a more secure approach, but some users argue that it can be overly complex and restrictive.
• The expiration of refresh tokens is a problem for some users, who have to reauthenticate frequently.
• The change is seen as a necessary step towards improving security, but may require significant updates to existing scripts and workflows.