Gmail app separates purchases and package tracking, highlights relevant ads

Google is introducing two new functions for Gmail. When a user makes purchases via their Gmail account, these will be available via a separate menu item in the sidebar. This includes package tracking and should make it easier to keep track, especially during the Christmas season. In addition, incoming advertising will be sorted according to relevance, not just time.

Google's mail service is updated at irregular intervals, and additional functions are added. At the end of April this year, the Gmail app received a slider and an AI image generator, although the latter is reserved for paying users, such as those with Google's Workspace subscription or who have subscribed to Google One AI Premium. The slider can be used to flexibly enlarge and reduce the display area of the list of emails and the mail preview on tablets or foldables.

New Gmail functions for all users

While these new features were intended for users with larger screens or subscriptions, the functions now presented in Google's blog post for sorting incoming advertising and tracking purchases and deliveries are aimed at all Gmail users. Especially at the end of the year, Google apparently finds its users slightly overwhelmed with Christmas shopping and is therefore offering a quick overview within the Gmail app.

The sidebar has a new menu item called "Purchases", where all orders and parcel deliveries made via the Gmail account are bundled together. Anyone who has already agreed to parcel tracking within Gmail, which Google has been offering via opt-in since 2022, will continue to receive notifications about upcoming deliveries above the emails. This also applies to the corresponding summary cards.

However, Gmail's summary cards are hidden by default within Europe and must be switched on manually. This can be achieved in the Gmail settings by activating the "smart functions for Gmail, Google Chat and Google Meet" and the "Conversation view".

Google sorts advertising for users

The function for tracking purchases and deliveries is being rolled out worldwide with immediate effect. The sorting of advertising by relevance, on the other hand, will only follow in the coming weeks. This means that incoming advertising will no longer be listed by date of receipt, but advertising emails that Google believes could be of interest to the user will be displayed at the top. Google wants to deduce this from previous interactions with these emails. However, this sorting can also be switched off so that new advertising emails appear at the top again.

(fds)