Google today starts rolling out the revamped desktop version of its Gmail email service. If available, users can switch to the new version by clicking 'Try the new Gmail' by clicking the wrench icon in the top right. The new version adds functionality like reminders, snooze and answer suggestions.
Google writes in the announcement of the change that it should make users more productive.
One feature to make Gmail users more productive is that users can hover emails in their inbox. When hovering, additional features for the email appear, such as the ability to download attachments without actually opening the mail. The company has also added the ability to quickly archive emails, to mark them as read, and to snooze emails when hovering.
With the snooze feature, emails temporarily disappear from the inbox. Gmail can also remind users that they've sent a mail but haven't received an answer yet. This should decrease the number of unanswered emails. It also works the other side around, the feature can remember users to answer a mail to which they haven't responded yet.
The feature 'Smart Reply' provides suggestions of answers based on the contents of the received email. Google has also added improved warnings for potential malicious messages. The warnings are now much harder to miss. Another new feature is 'Confidential Mode' that allows users to mark an email as confidential. An email marked as confidential can't be forwarded, copied, downloaded or printed. Users can also add the possibility to let the email expire after a certain date, after which the mail disappears from the receiver's inbox.
The new version is rolled out gradually, it's unknown when it becomes available for all users.
