How do I get rid of a Gmail address I never use?

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been trying to download the Air Canada app to my phone, but Google Play Store won’t let me do it until I log in. Okay, fine, I have a Gmail address. But Google Play won’t let me log in under my current address. Instead, it is going by an email address I used once, shortly after I got my smartphone, five years ago, and from my smartphone. Google continually defaults to that address, and will not recognize my usual gmail address.

I want to delete that old address, and continue with my usual Gmail address. I want the Air Canada app, but I cannot get that until I get through all this Google and Gmail with the old address stuff. I’m thinking that if I can delete that old, one-use address, I’d be fine–but I cannot seem to delete it. Google has clear instructions–but it’s “are you sure?” and “don’t lose your data, download it all now” and “sorry, we forgot to include a Delete Your Account button on this page.” It seems that Google does not want me to delete an account I never use.

How do you delete a Gmail account?

2

Do you know the password?

3

I don’t think you want to delete the account. It sounds more like you have a Google Play account and the login for that is your old Gmail address and password. I’d suspect that deleting the old Gmail account will do nothing as Google Play will still need those login details. Have you considered making a new Google Play account with current Gmail address?

ETA: I didn’t previously have a Google Play account but when I go to the Google Play website I am automatically logged in via my usual Google account. What happens for you if you are logged in to Gmail on a PC browser and go to the Google Play website? Are you logged in to Google Play?

4

You can add multiple Gmail accounts to the phone; if you do that, whichever one you left open last is the one that’s used. You don’t add the account from Google Play: go to your phone’s settings and look for an entry called “Google” or “Google services”, and there for “Account”. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to choose which account to use in Play.

5

How to add an account in Android.

Then you can log into Google with the account you want to be active.

6

Thanks, folks! I’ll give these a try.

7

After you add your other Google account to your phone, you can remove the one you don’t want from the phone from the settings on your phone --> accounts. It doesn’t delete the Gmail account, just removes it from your phone so it stops bothering you.