Gmail inbox It was launched as an enhancement to Google's email service, which would not replace Gmail or its ancient icon, at least for the moment, but it would be a new option so users could start using it and give their opinions. Well, this is what we think after using it in depth and comparing features with what Gmail and other alternatives in the ecosystem already offer.
What we liked
Reminders
I have to admit that Evernote is a really useful tool, but no matter how much I've tried to use the service over the past few years, I've always ended up opting for other note-taking and reminder apps. The latest one has been Google Keep (now also available on iOS), although it has the problem that it's not available for iOS. I've always wanted to opt for systems that would allow me to upload a note very quickly and save it so I could view it later. Well, with the option Reminders Inbox, we won't have any problems. Just press the + button in the bottom right corner, and instead of starting a new email, click Reminder. It will appear as another item in our inbox.
In addition, reminders behave like tasks: You can pin, complete, or snooze them just like you would an email. You can associate them with a specific email to give them context, and even make them recurring for recurring tasks (paying rent, submitting a report, etc.). If you combine reminders with the snooze feature, when and where or by place (detected by your phone), Inbox becomes a highly flexible productivity hub, inheriting insights from Google Now to remind you of the right things, at the right time.
Snooze email
On the other hand, I loved the option of being able to snooze emailsI'm one of those whose inbox is at 1.999 because it can't display a higher number. I don't delete emails, and with Gmail, I almost don't care; I just need to use the search engine. However, it's true that important emails can get forgotten if we don't save them in a folder. With the snooze email option, they'll arrive in our inbox again later, so we can continuously snooze emails until we have time to deal with them, and ignore all the others.
On mobile, just swipe to the right to snooze and choose when (later, tomorrow, exact date/time) or where (when you arrive at a site). On the desktop, you can use the clock icon. A useful detail is the button Clear, which marks all unpinned emails as completed to free up your view without losing anything.
The day in 4 blocks
To all this we must add that we will no longer see a large number of emails that we have received throughout the day when we enter Gmail, but now that they are categorized, we will only see four blocks of the day, classified into different categories. While it's true that it's essential to go through all the categories to make sure you haven't left out an important email, it's much easier to manage the amount of emails we have.
Inbox visually separates what arrives Today, Yesterday and This Month, and allows certain categories (Travel, Shopping, Notifications, Finance, Promotions, etc.) appear grouped directly in your Inbox. You can even tell Inbox when you want each group to appear (for example, Promotions to appear every morning at the same time), or use options to unsubscribe from mailing lists, which reduces distractions and focuses attention on what is relevant.
Data and files previewed
In the inbox, we won't find, except in some cases, single emails, but rather categories. Each of these categories will show us some of the senders of the emails in that category, but also some of the images to files from that category. Sometimes it's the documents or images in an email that are the elements that are really useful in determining whether we want to view the email or simply don't care.
Inbox enhances this idea with information cards that extract the essentials without opening the message: flight schedules, shopping lists, maps, or recent photos. This preview, inspired by Google Now, saves unnecessary openings and speeds up decision-making.
Search and productivity
Inbox search isn't just a filter: it has improvements semantics to locate people, files and details specific. If you often work with flagged emails, the system thumbtacks (equivalent to stars) pins what's important to your inbox and lets you filter with one tap to see only what's essential.
Interface and message composition
The design with Material Design bets on clarity and shortcuts; he also received a best interface for tabletsThe “+” button opens shortcuts to frequently used contacts. reminders. Responding from the preview is fast, and although the mobile editor is intentionally simple (without too many formats), on the desktop there are tools closer to those of traditional Gmail.
Mobile and desktop versions
Inbox is an experience very mobile: On iOS and Android, you can control it with gestures (right to snooze, left to complete), pin, group, and clear. On desktop, initially optimized for Chrome, the sidebar allows you to navigate through groups and labels easily. In both cases, the philosophy is to treat each email as a homework which can be resolved, postponed or completed.
What we did not like
Poor clarity
If there is something that has always characterized Gmail is that it was very clear to view and distinguish emails. It used to be categorized into a few sections, like Notifications and Reminders. Now there are many more sections, and we don't know them all, so Inbox is much less clear. It's not easy to determine which specific folder the emails are in. Let's say it's more like a platform to navigate through the emails we receive, a Flipboard of the email world. This has a clear problem, and that is that there are emails that we cannot ignore, and with Inbox it is something that could happen, so some people look for alternatives to Gmail.
Invitation system
Google has opted for a invitation system to distribute their new app. This could be for two reasons: either they want users to see the service as something that isn't easy to get, and thus be more interested, or they're not entirely sure it will be useful or better than Gmail. This last point leads us to another conclusion: not everyone at Google considers Inbox better than the classic Gmail inbox, and they're opting to launch both platforms at the same time to see what users choose. Will they eliminate one of them?
At its launch, this formula triggered the expectation- There were people who paid for invitations or shared their data on unreliable websites. If you ever join invitation-only trials, avoid these platforms. fraudulent and use only official channels.
Both apps work right now
Both Gmail and Inbox are working right now. The biggest problem is that it's not useful to have both running at the same time, as we'll receive the double notifications, and it will be difficult mark as read or archived correctly, and it won't be clear which emails are new or which ones we've already seen on the other service. On the other hand, Google's lack of commitment to Inbox makes disabling Gmail difficult for those of us who use it every day. Thus, Google would have to decide soon which system it will opt for; otherwise, some will receive more updates than others, or be more optimized, and then users of the other service would conclude they made the wrong choice.
Coexistence generated Confusion among heavy users. Over time, many of Inbox's ideas have become transferred to the Gmail experience, reducing that clash of flows between platforms.
Practical limitations and shortcomings
- Limited Mobile Edition: Message composition prioritizes speed over formatting. If you need complex lists, styles, or templates, you'll need to use the desktop or specific tools.
- Delete is not the default: The interface favors completing/filing. Deleting requires extra steps, something that takes away from the feeling of control for some users.
- Less visible labels and filters: Those who live off advanced labels perceive less immediacy to label from Inbox, although it is possible to create Groups that function as labels and define their behavior (grouped or individual, and time of appearance).
- Attachments in long threads: When a conversation gets long, it can be more difficult to recognize which messages include files because the attachment indicator isn't as prominent. In work environments with many PDFs or images, this visibility is lacking.
Who is Inbox for and how can you get the most out of it?
If you use email as a dashboard tasks, you appreciate the block view (Today, Yesterday, This month), and it helps you snooze for time or location, Inbox fits you. Take advantage of the thumbtacks To fix the critical, schedule the appearance from noisy groups (Promotions) and combines email-based reminders with contextual snoozing. If your workflow relies on complex tags and rich editing, you may prefer the classic interface or complement it with utilities.
Alternatives and legacy in the ecosystem
Inbox's impact has been profound: many of its features inspired the Current Gmail (grouping, snoozing, key information view, task focus). There are also apps that take productivity further. Solutions like Spark or recent proposals such as short wave They rely on smart categories, automatic summaries and searches in natural language, with AI functions that distill ideas, translate or propose answers, including Smart Reply, always with the recommendation of verify before sending.
If you like to squeeze Gmail with add-ons, there are specialized extensions (for example, Right Inbox) that add shipping scheduling, recurring emails, templates, multiple firms, sequences of pursuit which are cancelled upon receiving a response, reminders, synchronization with CRM , link preview and even insertion of GIFs. And on Google's side, the integration of IA in Gmail and Workspace already allows you to help write, summarize y attempting details faster, keeping spam blocked and strengthening security.
Inbox stands out for combining task management with email, reducing anxiety in the face of the daily flood and providing context with previews and reminders. If you value that philosophy, you'll feel right at home; if you prioritize the surgical precision of labels and advanced editing, you might prefer to complement it with classic Gmail, AI-powered apps, or extensions focused on your workflow.
