Google wants to change email for the better. To do it, it’s launching a new email app, separate from Gmail, called Inbox.
Announced via blog post, Inbox builds upon Gmail’s relatively successful tabs, which introduced new buckets for Social updates and Promotions. The app features Bundles, which will group together similar kinds of messages, so things like bank statements and receipts are grouped together. Bundles will be user-customizable as well.
There’s also Highlights, which puts important emails front and center — photos from friends, flight itineraries and event information all qualify. The app will even bring in “useful” information from the web that’s not in the email, such as tracking info for a package.
Inbox also features Reminders, Assists and Snooze: Users can create Reminders that will alert them about various tasks, Assists work with reminders to surface relevant information (a restaurant reservation will automatically attach a map to a confirmation email, for instance), and Snooze will let you dismiss both messages and Reminders temporarily.
Google says Inbox was created by the Gmail team and was years in the making, but it’s not an update to Gmail. It’s a separate app that works with Gmail accounts, although Google says it’ll honor any mail forwarding or POP/IMAP settings you’ve set up in Gmail.The thrust of Inbox appears to be a more email-centric realization of Google Now, which surfaces relevant personal information, such as flight itineraries and map directions, in an Android launcher or via an iOS app. Inbox also incorporates Material, the new design aesthetic set to debut with Android 5.0 “Lollipop.”
Inbox works on Android (version 4.1 Jelly Bean or later), iOS (7 or later) and the web (Chrome only), but isn’t available for download yet; the service is invitation-only at start. You can ask to receive an invite by hitting up [email protected].
Both a tablet version of Inbox and support for other browsers are said to be in the works.
