Inbox from Google will soon be available for iOS and Android
Google has announced a new, ‘years in the making’ email app that aims to cut down on the deluge of emails flooding into our pockets.
The new Inbox app, currently in private beta for iOS and Android ahead of a full fill out, is a world away from the current Gmail offering.
Google hopes to allow users to focus on what really matters rather than be distracted by unnecessary notifications. Inbox aims to offer a snapshot of email important content within the Highlights section, presented in a Google Now-like at a glance view.
Within Highlights, emails containing photos will show thumbnails in the preview, while flight itineraries and package deliveries will be augmented with real time updates from the web, which weren’t within the original email.
Google Inbox also features Bundles, which builds on the email segregation introduced to Gmail last year. For example, Google says, receipts, and bank statements sit together, but now users can quickly review them and swipe them away in a similar manner to the popular Mailbox app.
There’s also the ability for users to add their own Reminders while the Assists tool aims to provide pertinent information that may help users complete the task.
“For example, if you write a Reminder to call the hardware store, Inbox will supply the store’s phone number and tell you if it's open. Assists work for your email, too. If you make a restaurant reservation online, Inbox adds a map to your confirmation email. Book a flight online, and Inbox gives a link to check-in,” Google explained.
Inbox also allows users to Snooze away emails and reminders and return to them when the time is right.
Posting on the Gmail blog, Android and Chrome boss Sundar Pichai wrote: “Today, we’re introducing something new. It’s called Inbox. Years in the making, Inbox is by the same people who brought you Gmail, but it’s not Gmail: it’s a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters.”
Google has sent out invites to some users, but Gmail loyalists can email Inbox@Google.com to request access to the beta. Take a squizz at Inbox in the video below.
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