Coming soon – New design and enhanced functionality of Gmail

Google is announcing a new Gmail available in the coming weeks.

As an official reseller of Google Workspace (ex. G Suite) and Google Cloud in Ukraine, Central, and Eastern Europe, the Cloudfresh team received information about the upcoming Gmail innovations. The updated design will appear for users of the web version of Gmail, bringing it closer to the Gmail settings on mobile devices. The new design incorporates some subtle Material Design elements from Google and several new features initially introduced in the Inbox app for Gmail.

Google will add smart replies to the web version of Gmail. The same features are in the mobile application, which offers a quick reply to an email. The new snooze feature also allows you to temporarily snooze emails from your Inbox until a certain time (you can set when the email should arrive again), so you can avoid certain email threads until you’re ready to reply. Snooze incoming email and smart reply are currently part of Google’s Inbox app for Gmail, and both features will now be in Gmail on the web.

The new Gmail will now have an interactive sidebar with the ability to access Google Calendar, Google Keep, and tasks, all right in Gmail. It seems to be the most important part of the update, making it easier to schedule a time and see when you’re free when replying to an email.

Google is providing three new display layouts to choose from, including a “default” option that highlights attachments such as documents and photos, a comfortable display that doesn’t highlight attachments, and a compact view that increases the number of messages you can see on one page. The compact view is most similar to the existing Gmail design, allowing existing users to maintain a similar layout.

None of the three new looks and UI changes is as drastic as the Inbox update Google announced in 2014. It’s still unclear whether the new redesign marks the end of the Inbox era or not, as Gmail is now getting smart replies and snooze inbox features that were in Inbox. On the other hand, it looks like Google isn’t ready for a radical change to Gmail, so Inbox may continue to be the place the company tests new email features.

The new version of Gmail will also get Confidential mode.

“Confidential Mode” will allow Gmail users to prevent recipients from forwarding certain emails or restrict the ability to copy, download, and print them.

Google will also allow Gmail users to enter an access code to open an email generated via SMS or set an expiration date for sent emails. These features will be heavily geared towards businesses that want more control over how recipients use emails.

Google plans to make the new design available to Google Workspace (ex. G Suite) and Gmail users in the coming weeks. The Google I/O Developer Conference kicks off May 8th at Mountain View, and it’s reasonable to assume that the new Gmail design will be part of the many exciting announcements at the event.

Some of the materials and images for this article are taken from The Verge.