It appears that Google is working on an update to the web interface for Gmail, which will also include a bunch of new features. The news has been followed up with some screenshots of the new interface, courtesy of Android Authority.
The news of a new web UI for Gmail comes from emails sent out to G Suite admins advising of an ‘Early Adopter Program’ which will arrive in the coming weeks that will introduce a “fresh, clean look” to the email services web UI. The new look will, according to the screenshots shown to Android Authority, include three new views: Default, Comfortable and Compact. Android Authority describes the new looks:
- Default will show you what kind of attachment is included in an email, including things like images, slides, documents or spreadsheets, right from your inbox
- Comfortable removes these icons and instead shows the familiar paperclip to signify an attachment
- Compact is similar to Comfortable but decreases the vertical whitespace
The Early Adopter Program will also include new features such as snooze and smart replies similar to features that have made Google’s other email client, Inbox, so popular. Users can also expect to see improved integration with Google services including Calendar and Keep. Additionally, there could be improvements with Google Tasks finally getting integration into Gmail, allowing users to access a To-Do list in their email.
Offline support is also on the way, though not initially, with Google advising admins that the feature could arrive in June.
Finally, Google is advising that once the new Gmail experience is up and running, admins should check any Chrome Extensions that are in use to ensure that they work.
Google has issued a very email oriented statement on the new update, saying :
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.
If you want to see some more of the new Gmail interface – albeit heavily redacted – you can head over to Android Authority for some more shots.
