Google Inbox App Arrives as Invite-Only App – This is Not the Gmail You Know!

BY LORENZO TANOS

Without a doubt, Gmail is ubiquitous in the world of email. Many people have a Gmail account, and it’s clear that Google’s email service is now one of the most popular clients out there. With that status in mind, Google has tentatively released a new app called Inbox that’s free to iOS and Android users and an interesting look at how Google may possibly launch an email service had it been done today, and not several years ago.

The key word to keep in mind above is “tentatively” – Google’s Inbox is invite-only, just like Gmail was in its early days. But for what it’s worth, it is not to be confused with Gmail as we know it. Instead, Google has taken its Material Design paradigm and applied it to the Inbox app, giving users a flat, minimalist look and feel. All of your email messages show up as tasks that have to be completed, and these tasks are marked “Done” once you’ve archived them; this can be done with a simple swiping gesture. Once a task is open, you can pin an email on top if you feel it is important, and you can set reminders for those emails, making you aware of the importance of such email messages. Conversely, the Google Inbox app allows users to put messages on snooze if they feel it can be left alone for the meantime.

It’s also quite easy to categorize your emails, as Inbox would let you arrange emails by the time they were sent, and would also give you “highlights” from the categories you create, allowing you to get a quick snapshot of what’s in there without having to open a category.

Still, Inbox isn’t a perfect app, especially for those who have been Gmail users for quite a while. Sure, it’s an extremely simple take on your conventional email client, but this may be best appreciated by casual users, rather than power users whose working days depend on email. And Inbox is also incompatible with Google’s Apps for Work business-oriented accounts. But the long and short of it is this – Google Inbox has some serious potential despite having a few shortcomings ahead of its widespread release.