A new version of Gmail is in the offing

Gmail is going to get a new look soon, with a new web interface. The Verge, which obtained a copy of the email sent to G suite administrators, reported that the hugely popular email service will have several new features soon, which will be made available to regular user accounts. G Suite is Google’s cloud computing arm which also manages productivity and collaboration tools, software, and products developed by Google.

The new Gmail features include smart reply, offline support, and a “snooze emails” option, according to the report.

Last year, in October, Google Calendar also underwent a transformation and a newly redesigned version was launched. It looked more like the mobile version of the calendar, with larger icons, and a clean look and updated colours.

Google’s Gmail redesign should be out in the next few weeks, with G Suite customers and personal accounts getting early access to it.

In a statement to The Verge, Google confirmed the news. “We’re working on some major updates to Gmail (they’re still in draft phase). We need a bit more time to compose ourselves, so can’t share anything yet – archive this for now, and we’ll let you know when it’s time to hit send,” shared the spokesperson.

Gmail was developed by Paul Buchheit. In 2014, 92 percent of startups in the US were using the platform and almost 60 percent of mid-sized US companies were using it, according to estimates. In 2017, Gmail had 1.2 billion active worldwide users. Since 2006, Google has started offering a Java-based app of Gmail for mobile phones.

While users of G Suite never have their emails scanned for other Gmail users, in 2014, Google updated its terms of service to ensure users had full transparency in the context of Google scanning their email content. The revision states, “Our automated systems analyse your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customised search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored.”

The next weeks are going to be exciting as we look forward to what Google has in store for Gmail.