Gmail users will no longer be required to sign up for a Google+ account, it has been relieved that Google has quietly removed the requirement for new Gmail users to sign up for a Google+ account, in an apparent acknowledgment that some users find it intrusive.

Google+ is a social network which integrates with many of Google’s online services, including Gmail, the +1 button, and YouTube comments. The service has over 300 million active users worldwide, according to Google. However, some insiders have expressed scepticism about this number, claiming that a user does not even have to navigate to the Google+ website to count as ‘active’; they merely have to click the notifications icon in the top right hand side of the screen.

Since 2012, anyone signing up for a new Gmail account was required to sign up for a Google+ account at the same time. However, the company has now added a ‘No thanks’ button that allows users to opt out of the service.

Now, with the removal of mandatory Google+ profiles for Gmail users, it appears that Google is taking another step back from its social network, which was once pegged as a rival to Facebook and Twitter.