Don't Panic, but Gmail Just Changed Everything For the First Time in Years

Google
Google

If there's one thing that can be said about Gmail, it's that there is nothing in life quite as consistent as the Google email client has proven to be. In the 14 years since the service was launched in invite-only beta, there have only been a handful of changes to the experience we know and love — and even then, the features met with consternation were swiftly exiled, shamed out of existence by Gmail's most loyal users. So, keep that history in the back of your mind as you read the following:

After years of relative stability, a lot of changes to your Gmail inbox took place at 3:01 a.m. ET on April 25.

But before you spend a single second worrying about just what that means, it's worth noting that there's a reason that these changes were so many years in the making — and that's because Google put a lot of thought into what they were bringing into your go-to email client. And for the most part, the upgrades are features we've been dreaming of, like reminders on past-due responses, the ability to use your calendar in the main Gmail page, and finally incorporating that whole Boomerang/Inbox email thing into Gmail proper.

If you're anything like me, you probably raced down this page to get to the good stuff — so ahead, click on through a rundown of each and every change that came to Gmail's 2018 redesign, and what each of those changes means for you.

The Changes That Make Your Inbox Easier to Use
Google

The Changes That Make Your Inbox Easier to Use

Four new features bring the Gmail inbox into 2018, and some of them answer years of our prayers:

A new, streamlined design: All of the clutter and annoyances that could once be found in your inbox have magically disappeared, and instead, you've got a sleek, sexy interface. Take, for example, attachments. No longer will they be in a separate, inexplicable box; they can now be found directly in the email itself.

Offline Mode: Gmail is finally available even when you don't have a WiFi connection — one of the few remaining features that Outlook continued to hold over Gmail's head. Now, you can look at your emails while you're on the go or out and about, and won't find yourself worrying about opening one specific email before your service is lost.

Side Panel: This one is truly something else (and again, check it off my wishlist, Google!) Calendar, Keep, and Tasks can now finally be accessed from within your inbox screen, and don't require you to open a separate tab or page. That's right! Never again will you find yourself clicking back and forth between calendar and email, desperately trying to get the info you're adding correct.

Snooze: The much-loved Boomerang/Inbox snooze function has once and for all been brought into your inbox. Just click the clock on any email, program in when you want to see it again, and poof! Out of sight, out of mind — until your chosen day rolls around, at which point you should probably just go ahead and respond.

The Changes That Make Your Inbox Smarter
Google

The Changes That Make Your Inbox Smarter

Four new features enable the technology that runs your inbox to truly work for you:

Nudging: A brightly-colored box will appear when you've ignored an email for far too long, letting you know that it's time to finally take the plunge and do so. And while that may seem like an instant heartburn generator, we promise your friends, family, and coworkers will be grateful for this one.

Smart Reply: Based on the emails you've exchanged in the past, Gmail will now populate and offer a simple response to each and every email. It's only available on mobile right now, but here's what makes it truly useful: if you're one of those people who hates exclamation points, it'll know, and won't give you those annoying-as-hell suggestions that you'd never in a million users deign to use.

High-priority notifications: This is another feature that's only going to be available on mobile for the near-ish future (sorry, desktop Gmailers!), but it's one of those things we've all been waiting for, and hopefully it'll have been worth the wait. Basically, based on the emails you open, read, and respond to, Gmail will only show you push alerts for the emails that are really urgent, and let you check out the ones that aren't when you open your inbox.

Unsubscribe: I've been using the half-formed version of this feature for a while, and it's a lifesaver. Now, it's easier than ever to unsubscribe from those emails you get a little bit too often, and Gmail will even point out the most pesky ones to you along the way.

The Changes That Make Your Inbox More Secure
Google

The Changes That Make Your Inbox More Secure

Two new features ensure that your inbox is tip-top when it comes to security and data protection:

Confidential Mode: Not only can this add two-factor authentication to your emails, it also grants you the ability to put an expiration date on the email you're sending — or, if you sever ties suddenly, revoke the email entirely.

Spam looks more like spam: Color-coded warnings have come to Gmail, and they're all about helping you see what's the real deal and what isn't — say goodbye to those terrible days of identical email phishing scams, because Google's got you covered.