Official Gmail Blog
News, tips and tricks from Google's Gmail team and friends.
A new, more visual way to view your Promotions tab
March 25, 2014
Posted by Aaron Rothman, Product Manager
Promotional mail has a lot of images, from pictures of snazzy new shoes to photos of that rock-climbing gym you’ve been wanting to try. But right now, those images are buried inside your messages—and with only subject lines to go on, it can be a challenge to quickly pick out the deals and offers that interest you most. To help you find what you’re looking for faster, you can now sign up for a new
field trial
for Gmail that lets you view the Promotions tab in a more visual way.
To take part in this field trial, you can sign up at
g.co/gmailfieldtrial
and if you’re selected, a new grid view will bring to the top of your inbox key images from deals, offers, and other marketing emails if you
have the Promotions tab enabled
. Grid view also comes with infinite scrolling, making it easy to quickly scan through your messages and find the ones that look interesting.
You’ll be able to toggle between the new visual grid view and the standard list view by clicking a button at the top of the tab. We’re just experimenting for now, but we hope this view will make it a little bit easier for you to get things done. Sign up at
g.co/gmailfieldtrial
and if you're selected, we’ll follow up for your feedback!
Note: If you send promotional emails, check out the
Gmail Developers site
to learn how you can give your readers a better experience in Gmail using this feature.
Staying at the forefront of email security and reliability: HTTPS-only and 99.978% availability
March 20, 2014
Posted by Nicolas Lidzborski, Gmail Security Engineering Lead
Cross-posted on the
Official Google Blog
Your email is important to you, and making sure it stays safe and always available is important to us. As you go about your day reading, writing, and checking messages, there are tons of security measures running behind the scenes to keep your email safe, secure, and there whenever you need it.
Starting today, Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection when you check or send email. Gmail
has supported HTTPS
since the day it launched, and in 2010 we made
HTTPS the default
. Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail’s servers—no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet.
In addition, every single email message you send or receive—100% of them—is encrypted while moving internally. This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers—something we made a top priority after last summer’s revelations.
Of course, being able to access your email is just as important as keeping it safe and secure. In 2013, Gmail was available 99.978% of the time, which averages to less than two hours of disruption for a user for the entire year. Our engineering experts look after Google's services 24x7 and if a problem ever arises, they're on the case immediately. We keep you informed by posting updates on the
Apps Status Dashboard
until the issue is fixed, and we always conduct a full analysis on the problem to prevent it from happening again.
Our commitment to the security and reliability of your email is absolute, and we’re constantly working on ways to improve. You can learn about additional ways to keep yourself safe online, like
creating strong passwords
and
enabling 2-step verification
, by visiting the Security Center:
https://www.google.com/help/security
.
Get your mail faster on the Gmail iOS app
March 5, 2014
Posted by Melissa Dominguez, Software Engineer
Whether you’re checking your email first thing in the morning or as you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, you want to get your messages as quickly as possible. With today’s update to the
Gmail iOS App
, it’s easier to do just that.
The app now fully supports background app refresh, which means your Gmail messages will be pre-fetched and synced so they’re right there when you open the app—no more annoying pauses while you wait for your inbox to refresh. This feature requires iOS 7, and you’ll also need to
turn on background app refresh
and notifications (badge or any other type) for the Gmail app.
The Gmail app also now supports sign-in across Google iOS apps, including Maps, Drive, YouTube and Chrome. Sign in to one, and you’ll be signed in to all (this also works for signing out). So you won’t have to type in that 27-character password or retrieve your
2-step verification code
every time you navigate to another Google app. You may need to re-login after you update the app, but then you’ll be all set.
Head over to the
App Store
now to download the updated app so you can save a bit more time each day.
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