Gmail testing new UI that makes sending emails feel more like text messages
Email hasn’t changed much over the years, which is why it is understandable that the younger generation might still prefer communicating over text messages rather than emails which tends to feel a bit more formal, but that’s somethin Google is hoping to change.
In a recent UI update to Gmail, Google has introduced a new UI element to emails that will make replying feel a bit more conversational. This comes in the form of a sticky text box at the bottom of the email which looks a lot like Google Chat. This is where users can type in their replies straight away and send it, like they would when they’re texting someone in a messenger app.
Prior to this, the old UI had buttons at the bottom that would allow users to reply, reply to all, or forward the email, but this change makes replying emails a lot quicker like replying to a text. Obviously some emails will still require some modicum of professionalism/formality, so even though it looks like a chat, you might want to avoid replies like “k.”
That being said, this change doesn’t appear to be live for everyone just yet. As Android Police notes, it could be a server-side test enabled by Google so it is unclear at this point in time whether or not it will become a mainstay feature, but we have to say that we do like it and hopefully it will roll out to more users in the future.
Source: Android Police