Google has made an update to Gmail that makes it easier for users to migrate from competing email providers.

Users can choose to import all their contacts, existing messages and new mail from services such as Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL.

"It's been easy to auto-forward all your Gmail messages to any other service, and now it's a little easier to go the other direction too," said Gmail engineer Chad Parry in a blog post.

The new feature will be available immediately in all newly created Gmail accounts, and will arrive shortly to existing accounts. Users will see a new Import tab under the Settings menu when their account has been updated.

Prior to the update, Gmail users had to import contacts from other email accounts by using POP3 mail fetching and then uploading their contacts in a CSV file.

Businesses and schools paying for Google Apps will not see the new migration options. A Google spokesman explained, "When a business or other organisation makes the switch to apps, they will have dozens - if not hundreds or thousands - of people in need of migrating!"