November 10, 2011
Using Google Talk without a gmail account
Normally, Google makes using its tools pretty easy. Until last night when I needed to get on a Google Talk session with some support guys in the USA and Spain and needed a Talk login pretty fast.
To make life harder, all Google’s instructions seem to assume you have a gmail account, and you’re on a PC. I don’t, and my work machine is a Mac. Oh, and I use Adium to consolidate all my chat accounts (Skype, our work Jabber system and now gmail) on my Mac, and Shape’s IM+ on iPhone and iPad.
The good news is that there is a way! Create a Gmail account, sign into talk with your non-Gmail email address or alias, then delete the Gmail account!
It’s written up here, but to save you looking (and in case the page goes away):
If you’re using the Google Talk client and are trying to sign in with a Google account that doesn’t have a Gmail address, you’ll need to sign up for a Gmail account. A temporary issue with the Google Talk client requires that the Gmail service be added to any sign in account. If you don’t want to have an active Gmail account but want to use the Google Talk client, please sign up for Gmail once and delete the service permanently using the instructions below.
Please note that adding the Gmail service to your Google account is not necessary to use the Google Talk Gadget or chat in orkut.
To add Gmail to your Google Talk account, please follow the steps below:
- Go to your Google account management page.
- Under Try something new, click Gmail.
- Sign in to your account and follow the directions to add the Gmail service.
- Once you’ve created a Gmail address, sign in to the Google Talk client with your Google account or your Gmail address.
If you don’t want to have a Gmail address with your Google account, please follow these steps to remove the service:
- Go to your Google account management page.
- Next to My products, click Edit.
- Under Delete a product select Remove Gmail permanently.
- Check ‘Yes, I want to permanently delete username@gmail.com and remove it from my Google Account.’
- Click the Remove Gmail button.
DangerMouth said,
December 16, 2011 at 12:47 pm
What a pointless post.
So you want to use a service provided by Google without signing up to Google…. right. Then use it through a 3rd party app. Then you complain that they assume your using a PC, what 90% of the population use (plus, since when did Apple do any favours for Google?).
Are you sure you are a CIO?
Ian Finlay said,
December 16, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Thanks for your feedback. I’d be happy to answer your points:
1. I have signed up to Google, just not Gmail. It’s pretty clear from all the docs about Talk that you don’t need a Gmail account for it to work, but they make it hard by a bunch of screwed up circular links on the help pages. I was just trying to help others with the same problem through it faster. If that’s not a problem for you, then great!
2. I am using Google Talk through a third party app (Adium and Pidgin), but the same problem existed with the Google client too.
3. As far as using a Mac is concerned, I think it’s pretty feeble for an internet company to exclude Mac and Linux users just because of lousy documentation. Maybe you think that’s OK, I don’t.
4. Yes, I’m sure I’m a CIO
It says so on my business cards and payslips anyway.
If it’s a pointless post for you, I’m sorry I wasted a few bytes of your little bit of the internet. I’m always happy to discuss the merits of technology, or business, but suggest that being rude simply diminishes the value of your post.