Unsubscribing from emails is now even easier on the Android Gmail app — here’s why
Gmail no longer has a hidden treasure
Google is releasing an upgrade for the Gmail app that will allow users to easily unsubscribe from unwanted mass emails. However, this feature is not available on every Android phone just yet.
The unsubscribe option has been available on the web app for a while, but it was quite hard to find. As such Google redesigned the option to make it more obvious for the user. Surprisingly this change previously didn’t affect the Android app, until now.
The new design follows the same trend as the web browser with the unsubscribe button being placed at the top of the email. When tapped it will either ask for confirmation or redirect you to the newsletters unsubscribe website. This is supposedly down to how the publisher implemented this option.
If you are unsure of the website, or just don’t want to risk being sent to a potentially harmful website, it is still possible to mark an email as spam or block them. This will send the newsletter to a separate inbox and will send any further correspondence to the same place. However, it is worth showing some restraint with labeling emails as spam as it may cause your system to forward legitimate emails.
However, it appears that the feature is not yet available for everyone. In a recent report, Android Authority found the option was available on a Pixel 8 Pro, but not on an Honor phone. This will likely be solved soon and we imagine the addition will be implemented on more phones as time goes on. Until then users are still able to unsubscribe from emails the old-fashioned way.
Google's attempts to improve the visibility of the Gmail Unsubscribe buttons are certainly one that many users will appreciate. It is all too easy at the moment to lose track of emails and, while it may seem like a minor headache, having a massively full inbox can cause issues. One of them being that it'll fill up your Google cloud storage, which can then become a cost to pick up some more. It can also mean that important emails get easily missed as there are just too many to look at.
It is also important to keep security in mind when it comes to emails. As stated before, if the email has come from an untrusted source it is better to send it to the spam folder rather than trying to unsubscribe. If you do feel that your phone may have a virus then we have compiled a list of the best antivirus software for phones.
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Google is known for constantly updating its programs to make them more appealing to users. This change is not a major one, but it does make an already existing feature more prominent and that is enough. Hopefully, some of the other options, such as how to select important emails, get the same treatment.
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Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer.