Google is rolling out a new user interface for Gmail that aims to make it easier to switch between Mail, Chat, Spaces and Meet.
Google pulled back the curtains on parts of the redesign after a preview in January and updates in February showing off the new “embedded view” for Gmail. These were opt-in changes for Workspace users and have now become standard for all Gmail users.
Picture: Google.
Gmail’s new look features a left column with shortcuts to Mail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet. According to Google, the embedded view will first be offered to users who have activated the “Chat” function.
Material 3 put to use
To do this, users need to go to Settings (behind the cog icon) and view “full settings” and then enable Chat. Gmail will then switch to the new view.
Once the new view is enabled, Gmail users can use quick settings (also behind the cog icon) to customize which combination of Gmail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet they want to appear in the left column .
Google will start showing the option to enable the embedded view in the “coming weeks”. The new design aligns with Google’s Material 3 design system. Other than the left column, the new view doesn’t drastically change the look of Gmail.
“Now you can optimize Gmail for how you like to stay connected, whether as a standalone messaging app or as a hub to easily switch Chat, Spaces, and video calls in Google Meet,” explains Neena Kamath, product manager at Google.
Personalized suggestions based on trading history
Google is expected to make improvements for Gmail on tablets later this year, according to Neena Kamath. The web giant didn’t say what those improvements would be, but it did announce Android tablet-friendly updates to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Keep this week. New features include drag-and-drop functionality, keyboard shortcut support, and a side-by-side view of Drive windows.
Search and suggestion options, which change the contact’s pop-up suggestions when searching for a name, have also been improved in Gmail. “Suggestions are reorganized to more likely match contact requests with first names or email addresses rather than last names,” Google notes in its Workspace Updates blog.
There are also personalized suggestions based on chat history, such as how often a user interacts with a colleague through Gmail.
Quickly switch between services
Google’s support page for Gmail’s built-in view details steps to adopt the new view or switch back to the old one.
Google introduced Embedded View to meet changing needs during the pandemic, where users needed to switch often and quickly between email, messaging, group chat, and video calls.
Source: ZDNet.com