This won't happen. A Gmail account is the gateway for Android (most people using or getting started with Android would assume that a Gmail account is necessary

This won't happen. A Gmail account is the gateway for Android (most people using or getting started with Android would assume that a Gmail account is necessary to set it up). As long as Google doesn't give up on Android, YouTube and Maps, the free Gmail accounts aren't going anywhere. There's no point letting some other provider capture usage or other information (through email notifications) from these platforms. What could happen is that the space for each mailbox may be restricted, and linked accounts may be considered for the total space used by a person. Unused accounts may also be pruned quicker with hardly any notice.