Google's ever-popular email service is getting a significant overhaul.
The company announced "major improvements" to the web platform in a blog post Wednesday.
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Jacob Bank, lead product manager for Gmail, told The Verge that the redesign was intended to "mak[e] people safer and more productive."
Here are some of the new features of Gmail on the web:
- Click on attachments without opening or having to comb through long email threads and conversations.
- Use the snooze button to put off emails you can't immediately tend to.
- Get "nudged" by Google to remind you to respond to messages to ensure "nothing slips through the cracks."
- A "Smart Reply" feature to reply to messages faster. This has been available for mobile users since last year.
- Security feature warning you of potentially risky emails. "We've increased our investment in phishing protection dramatically," Bank told The Verge.
- Integrated rights management confidential mode: Giving you the ability to remove the option to forward, copy, download or print messages that are especially sensitive and contain information like your Social Security number.
- Two-factor authentication confidential mode: Giving you the ability to request the recipient of your message authenticate with a password via text message before they open the email.
- Make a message expire after a chosen period of time to stay in control of your information.
- Offline mode: The native offline mode gives business users who travel often the ability to "take their standard Gmail tab offline and work in the same UI," Bank said.
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The company also announced some new improvements to the mobile version, including “high-priority notifications” to notify you of the important messages.
The new mobile Gmail will also let you know when you’re losing interest in certain newsletters and suggest when to unsubscribe from the ones you don’t open often.
Users can begin using the new Gmail Wednesday by hitting the Settings button int he top right corner and selecting “Try the new Gmail.” Some features will roll out in the coming week.
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