14 useful hidden options within the Gmail Android app
Make probably the most of Google’s Gmail Android app with these out-of-the-way superior choices.
Google/JR Raphael, IDG
Let’s face it: Email is inherently a little bit of a ache. And whereas Google’s Gmail service is mostly fairly nice to make use of, it definitely has some room for enchancment — particularly on the cellular entrance.
But as is so usually the case with Google merchandise, what you see is not fully what you get. The Gmail Android app has some super-useful hidden touches you’ve got in all probability by no means observed lurking beneath its floor — simply missed options that may make your cellular e mail expertise extra highly effective, productive, and efficient.
Here are 14 such choices price uncovering — or perhaps simply remembering.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 1: Advanced e mail formatting instructions
The Gmail Android app’s e mail composing display looks as if a fairly bare-bones affair, however long-press on any open area while writing a brand new e mail — and by golly, goodness goshness, look what you may discover:
JR
Tap that “Format” possibility, and the way ’bout that? It’s a full slate of superior textual content formatting instructions for composing your message. You can type any a part of your e mail with daring, italic, or underlined textual content; you may change your e mail’s font coloration or background coloration; and — an occasional life-saver for the clipboard-happy hyper-pasters amongst us — you may filter all current textual content formatting with a single faucet.
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Pretty useful, proper?!
Gmail Android characteristic No. 2: Custom swipe gestures
Ever want you had a simple option to snooze messages out of your inbox — or perhaps even simply mark ’em as unread with out having to do a sophisticated finger-tap dance? Prepare to be happy.
Go open up the Gmail Android app’s settings (by tapping the three-line menu icon within the upper-left nook and scrolling down till you see the “Settings” possibility). Tap “General settings,” then choose “Swipe actions.”
JR
There, you may configure precisely what motion is related to swiping an e mail to the left and to the proper out of your inbox or from some other message checklist view. Set issues up the way in which you need — utilizing, in the event you’re so inclined, the previous Inbox-like association of a proper swipe for archiving and a left swipe for snoozing — after which swipe away to your coronary heart’s content material (and with the non-obligatory occasional cackle).
Gmail Android characteristic No. 3: A speedy account-switcher
Speaking of secret swipes, in the event you’ve received multiple Google account linked to your cellphone — say, a piece account and a private account or perhaps a piece account and a confidential chinchilla-chatting account — make a psychological notice of this: You can change between your accounts within the blink of a watch by swiping that furry little finger of yours up or down on the profile image within the Gmail app’s upper-right nook.
JR
Zip, zoom, zork!
Gmail Android characteristic No. 4: The contact management panel
While we’re as regards to face-oriented actions, here is one other underappreciated Gmail Android gem so as to add into your productiveness toolkit: While you are viewing any e mail in your inbox, faucet on the sender’s profile image towards the upper-left nook of the display.
That’ll pull up a tucked-away management panel that’ll provide you with one-tap choices for beginning a brand new e mail to that individual, scheduling a brand new calendar occasion with that individual, firing up a brand new Google Chat dialog with that individual (in the event that they’re utilizing a Google account), and calling that individual (when you have their cellphone quantity saved in your cellphone’s contacts).
JR
(Side notice: That could be probably the most flattering photograph of me ever taken.)
You may add the individual into your contacts straight by way of that panel by tapping the little person-plus icon in its upper-right nook — which’ll seem provided that stated individual (and/or chinchilla) isn’t already in your contacts.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 5: The contact step-saver
Let’s maintain the contact-related goodness going, we could? Betcha did not know you can press and maintain a sender’s title while viewing an e mail in Gmail to unearth worthwhile hidden choices.
But, sure, oh sure, you completely can. Go give it a whirl and see: When you do this, you may reveal helpful instructions for copying that individual’s e mail deal with onto your system clipboard in addition to for beginning up a separate new e mail thread to them on the spot.
JR
Who knew, proper?!
Gmail Android characteristic No. 6: A topic shortcut
Here’s one other useful long-press treasure to file away in your psychological folder of Gmail Android tips: Long-pressing on the topic line of any message when you’re viewing it’s going to reveal an artfully hid command for copying stated topic in a single quick snap.
JR
Bam! We’re on hearth. And we have a lot of good things left.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 7: Your reply redo
Ever understand you’ve got hit the reply button in an e mail in your cellphone while you meant to hit reply-all? Or perhaps vice-versa? It occurs to me on a regular basis (although admittedly, I’ve an particularly mushy man-noggin).
If it occurs to you, too, bear in mind this: You do not need to abandon the draft that is open to return and begin over. Just faucet the phrase “Reply” on the prime of the Gmail Android reply window in your display, and — shock!
JR
Right there, you may toggle from a reply to a reply-all and even a ahead, if you need — all with out ever transferring an inch or abandoning the clearly sensible message you already began composing.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 8: The recipient summoning spell
On a associated notice, the subsequent time you understand that you must add one other recipient into an e mail in your cellphone — be it a brand new draft you are writing, a reply, a forwarded message, no matter — save your self the difficulty of stopping your workflow to maneuver as much as the recipient discipline and as an alternative do that:
Right within the physique of the e-mail, the place you are already working, kind @ adopted by the primary letter or two of the individual’s title. (You may go old-school Google+-style and use the + signal as an alternative of @, in the event you’d moderately.)
As lengthy because the individual in query is in your contacts, their title will seem in a particular selector field proper subsequent to your cursor:
JR
And from there, it is only one extra faucet so as to add ’em into the e-mail.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 9: An finish to unintentional actions
It’s all too simple to faucet an icon by mistake while you’re managing e mail on the go, however Gmail really has a spectacular option to maintain your self from doing one thing silly on accident. It’s an additional step of affirmation for the worst form of errant e mail presses — archiving or deleting a message you were not finished with but or hitting the Send button earlier than your draft was completed. And it takes just a few fast faucets to get it arrange and activated.
Mosey your approach again to the “General settings” space of the Gmail settings, scroll all the way down to the very backside of that part, and search for the “Action Confirmations” heading — and there, activate whichever bits of added affirmation provides you with further peace of thoughts:
JR
The one factor price noting is that the archive and delete confirmations do not, vexingly, work with the swipe-based gestures we have been simply discussing for these instructions. That’s particularly unlucky, since Gmail’s swipe gestures are all too simple to activate by chance while you’re attempting to make use of Android’s awkwardly overlapping system-wide Back movement (until you already know the key Android gesture trick for avoiding that). But both approach, some safety remains to be higher than no safety, do not ya suppose?
Gmail Android characteristic No. 10: A much less annoying Promotions tab
The Gmail Android app’s Promotions tab is each a blessing and a curse. It provides you an effective way to maintain much less urgent messages out of your foremost inbox view, but it surely additionally throws in some adverts and does funky stuff with the order of your e mail.
There’s not a lot you are able to do concerning the adverts, sadly, however you may cease the app from reordering messages and placing what it considers to be the “excessive worth” promotions above every part else — as seen right here, the place my Gmail Android app at some point determined I ought to see a week-old message a couple of subscription audio service over quite a few more moderen messages (together with, barely decrease within the checklist, a more moderen and related e mail from the identical frickin’ service):
JR
(And sure, the advert in that prime part is especially pretty, too, is not it? Just a hair too private of an assumption to make, in the event you ask me. Cut it out, Google.)
To get again to a completely chronological, normal-style view, soar again into the Gmail app’s settings — and this time, faucet the deal with of your Google account, then faucet “Inbox classes” on the next display.
Scroll all the way in which all the way down to the underside of the display that reveals up subsequent. See that possibility labeled “Enable Top Picks”? Uncheck it.
JR
Back your approach out of there after which bask within the delight of getting your emails as soon as once more introduced in correct order, even if you cannot fully remove these pesky Promotions-tab adverts.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 11: A much less nudgy inbox
While we’re eager about annoying options, you know the way Gmail does that factor the place it “nudges” you to reply or observe as much as messages which were sitting in your inbox for some time? If you discover that to be extra bothersome than helpful, head again into the app’s settings and as soon as once more choose your Google account.
Scroll down til you see the choice for “Reply and observe up.” Tap it, then uncheck each choices on the display that follows — for “Suggest emails to answer to” and “Suggest emails to observe up on.”
JR
Nudges no extra. Serenity now.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 12: The Google service sweep-away
Maybe you are the one individual on the earth who really enjoys having that mammoth-sized navigation bar invading your inbox and taking on valuable display actual property — y’know, that monstrosity Google added into the app some time again to shove its newest messaging providers down our throats provide a simple option to entry Google Chat and Meet from inside your inbox in addition to by way of their very own standalone apps?
I’ve lengthy heard rumors that such an individual exists someplace on the market. If you might be that individual, kindly skip over this part and transfer on to the subsequent one, as this tip will not apply to you.
For the remainder of us, although, do your self an unlimited favor and switch that blasted added navigation bar off. Just return into the Gmail Android app’s settings, faucet the title of your account, after which:
- Uncheck the field subsequent to “Chat,” beneath the “General” header…
- And scroll all the way down to uncheck the field subsequent to “Show the Meet tab for video calling,” too, beneath the “Meet” header.
All that is left is to breathe an enormous sigh of aid.
Gmail Android characteristic No. 13: A speedy option to set an out-of-office responder
For years, the Gmail cellular app had no option to handle the service’s out-of-office trip auto-responder. And I’m certain I’m not the one one who typically indicators out forward of a deliberate break after which realizes half an hour later I forgot to set my away message.
Well, fret no extra, for sooner or later within the not-too-distant previous, the Gmail Android app gained the power to manage the out-of-office responder. Yes, indeedly: You can simply open up the app’s settings, faucet the title of the account you wish to modify, after which search for the “Vacation responder” possibility halfway down the checklist of decisions.
From there, it will take you a mere matter of moments to allow, configure, and edit your out-of-office auto-response to swimsuit any scenario possible.
JR
Gmail Android characteristic No. 14: More selective notifications
Email notifications can often be useful, however let’s be sincere: They may also be fairly hellish. Give your self a break from the noise by attempting out the Gmail Android app’s high-priority notification possibility, which makes use of synthetic intelligence and different impressive-sounding buzzwords to determine which incoming messages are literally vital to you — after which to inform you solely about these emails.
To give it a whirl, enterprise as soon as extra into the Gmail app’s settings, choose your Google account, faucet the road labeled “Notifications,” and choose “High precedence solely.” Give it a day and see what you suppose.
If you already know precisely what varieties of emails that you must be notified about — say, these from a specific individual or area title, these with a particular phrase of their topics or our bodies, or these which are despatched to a specific deal with of yours — you may skip the A.I. and simply arrange your individual customized Gmail notifications. That’s what I do, and so long as you may work out a constant formulation for what types of emails are notification-worthy to you, it really works extremely effectively.
Either approach, you may have rather a lot much less noise — and much more vitality to cope with what actually issues. Even if, y’know, “what actually issues” is just discovering a number of free minutes to eat a midmorning hoagie.
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