This new Gmail for Android feature could be a lifesaver in clearing your inbox

Gmail
Gmail-uppdateringen bjuder på en fräsch ny design. (Image credit: Solen Feyissa / Unsplash)

Getting control of your Gmail inbox whilst on the move could soon be a lot less painless thanks to a new update.

The email service has announced it will be adding a "Select All" function to its Gmail for Android app, allowing users to instantly select up to 50 emails in their inbox, or results from a search.

The company hopes its new addition will make clearing up your inbox easier for mobile users, who can sometimes be left trawling through crowded message boxes trying to find the right information.

Gmail for Android

The update is rolling out now, with Gmail on Android users able to download the updated version of the app from the Play Store.

Although the function has been available on desktop for a long time, this is the first time it has come to mobile devices. The decision to limit selection to a maximum of 50 emails is the same as the desktop version, which might sound like a shortcoming, but it's definitely a tool we use all the time.

The launch is the latest in a series of upgrades to the mobile version of Gmail as the company looks to ensure users everywhere get the most out of the app.

Back in June, Google announced its AI-powered Help Me Write tool for Gmail was coming to both Android and iOS to help users draft email replies. Help Me Write, which was previously only available to enrolled Workspace testers on desktop, can edit an email you’ve already written, or you can provide the tool with a quick prompt and it’ll draft the whole thing for you, before allowing you to edit it yourself, or use the same refinements to tweak the length and tone.

However the company has also been accused of limiting the usability of its mobile apps by embedding ads in the middle of user's inboxes, and it was also criticized recently for dropping the red icon that appears in notifications on Android devices to show they have a new email.

Via 95o5Google

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Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.