Google's paid enterprise-level app platform, G Suite, has dropped a sweet nugget of information pointing to a forthcoming redesign and enhancement of the Gmail web interface. An email sent to G Suite administrators today announced that there will be a new "Early Adopter Program" to test out a new version of Gmail on the web, along with some information on what we can expect as part of the new design.
In the coming weeks, we'll be announcing an Early Adopter Program (EAP) for a new experience in Gmail. This EAP will introduce a new design for the Gmail web interface, as well as several new features. These changes will also be made available to users with personal Gmail accounts, so we want to make sure you're adequately prepared for questions from your G Suite users in advance of the public announcement.
Those new features, in short, include:
- A fresh, clean look for Gmail on the web.
- Easy access to G Suite apps, such as Google Calendar, from within Gmail.
- Smart Reply on the web, just like on mobile.
- Ability to "snooze" emails and choose when they reappear in your inbox.
- Offline support (native offline support in the new Gmail experience by June 2018)
The email for administrators doesn't include any images of the new interface, but it sure feels like Gmail is due for a refresh — outside of small tweaks, Gmail on the web hasn't changed substantially in several years. As for what it'll look like, Google Calendar's recent redesign on the web could be a good indication of what to expect. At the same time, the more important announcements here for many people are the new features, particularly better integration with Google Calendar and some "smart" features like Smart Reply and snoozing that started with the Inbox app and have started to trickle over to Gmail. There's no word on what this could mean for the Gmail apps on Android and iOS.
Following the email, a Google spokesperson provided the following statement: "We're working on some major updates to Gmail (they're still in draft phase). We need a bit more time to compose ourselves, so can't share anything yet—archive this for now, and we'll let you know when it's time to hit send."
Though this Early Adopter Program is currently pointed at G Suite customers and still in an early phase, you can expect that these changes won't be exclusive to the enterprise-grade Gmail experience. The email is clear that the same (or similar) features will be coming to personal Gmail accounts as well. As for a timeline, the best we get is "in the coming weeks" — so be patient.
