Google is rolling out a new update for Gmail, introducing a revamped right-click context menu including new tools and features. Specifically, this is an update for the Gmail web application and doesn’t affect mobile users who rely on the Gmail app for Android OS. But for PC users who utilize the Gmail web client whether on Windows or MacOS machines, the new context menu offers a new range of tools, including options for replying to or forwarding emails from the main page without having to expand the conversations.
Users will also be able to search for emails from a specific sender, or if the conversation view is disabled then they can search for emails sharing the same subject. Likewise, if the conversation mode is enabled, an additional “Reply all” feature will be added to the context menu. Following the update users will also be able to open multiple emails in new windows simultaneously, as well as moving emails and adding labels through the same redesigned context menu.
Google began the new feature’s gradual rollout yesterday on the “Rapid Release” domains, meaning that the update should be available to some users who have signed up for the Rapid Release track. This is a pseudo-beta program which gives participants early access to certain features before they will launch to the open public. The update will continue to be rolled out gradually to early adopters over a period of up to 15 days.
Meanwhile, the new features will hit the “Scheduled Release” domains on February 22 and should extend to the entire Gmail user base over a period of 1-to-3 days. No additional steps are required by the users as the update and new features will be applied and enabled automatically. Readers who might want to participate in the Rapid Release program can head over to Google’s Support page and follow the official instructions.
This latest update arrives roughly two weeks after Gmail for Android OS was updated with a new user interface and additional features. Similar to this new context menu for web users, the previous update for mobile released at the end of January allows users to view photo attachments without having to open conversations. The said update was a considerable step towards a unified look between the Gmail web application and its Android OS counterpart.
In January still, the tech giant also enriched the web application with additional tools for undoing/redoing actions, the new strikethrough option for text, and the ability to download emails in EML format, giving users the option to view downloaded content through other email clients supporting the format.
Meanwhile, Inbox for Android OS is slowly but surely closing in to its discontinuation. The mobile application launched in 2014 through a limited invitation-only program was viewed as a productivity-oriented alternative to Gmail and was released publicly in May 2015, followed by positive reviews from the large majority of Android smartphone users. Google announced last year that Inbox will be shut down in March, but a recent leak indicates that the company will continue to migrate some of the Inbox features to the Gmail application, the latter of which will remain the tech giant’s only email client moving forward.
