gmailiconGoogle today announced a brand new inbox on desktop and mobile that offers improved filtering in the form of a tabbed layout, which supports up to five different organizational tabs.

We get a lot of different types of email: messages from friends, social notifications, deals and offers, confirmations and receipts, and more. All of these emails can compete for our attention and make it harder to focus on the things we need to get done. Sometimes it feels like our inboxes are controlling us, rather than the other way around.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, Gmail is getting a brand new inbox on desktop and mobile that puts you back in control using simple, easy organization.

The new design, which lets users organize bulk mail into specific categories, will be used both on the web and in Google’s mobile apps. Categories include Main, Social, Offers, Notifications, and Forums, and users can customize the inbox by selecting which tabs to use.


Messages can be dragged and dropped between tabs and Google allows users to set email from a particular sender to always appear in a specified tab. Tabs will need to be configured via the desktop, but will be displayed on mobile via a tray that slides out from the left side of the Gmail app.

The redesign will be deployed to both mobile and desktop users on a rolling basis over the next few weeks, and enabling the tabs will require Gmail users to implement the new inbox feature by selecting “Configure Inbox” when the option appears in the Settings menu.

Gmail for iOS is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Parasprite Avatar
154 months ago
I use Apple's Mail program for all of my important email accounts, but for my personal Gmail accounts (one for giving to retailers and such, etc.) they aren't important enough to warrant using any hard drive space or offline access, so it looks like I'm the targeted audience for this new feature ;)
Inboxes can be overwhelming.
Inbox (7)
I guess I must not be their targeted audience.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blitzer09x87 Avatar
154 months ago
hmmm... the redesigned gmail is classy.
google never rests, they keep on changing and improving their services.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S.B.G Avatar
154 months ago
Doesn't virtually everyone use aggregate email clients anyway? Who wants one that can only do one type of account?

That's certainly how I feel, but there must be someone because these single-client apps continue to get developed. Strange, but to each his own.

I have several email accounts of various domains and I have them all dump into my Gmail account, with one exception. For all the ones that dump into Gmail I use filters and labels to separate them.

I use the web interface for Gmail and no clients, except fot the Gmail iOS app. For me, it works great.

This new update looks interesting and will check it out once it rolls out to my account.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

John Gruber Says 'Something is Rotten' at Apple

Wednesday March 12, 2025 7:39 pm PDT by
Daring Fireball's John Gruber today shared some strongly-worded comments about Apple's delayed personalized Siri features. Gruber is a well-known Apple pundit who has been writing about the company for more than two decades. In a blog post titled "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino," Gruber said Apple's credibility has been "damaged" by the delay:Keynote by keynote, product by...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Machined Parts Leak Reflects Camera Redesign Rumors

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:07 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to feature a significant design overhaul, and a new image apparently taken on an assembly line for the unreleased devices appears to confirm the biggest rumored change. Render of an iPhone 17 Pro model shared by Jon Prosser The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to adopt a horizontal camera bar reminiscent of Google's Pixel...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Apple Knows Apple Intelligence is 'Underwhelming' and Won't Drive iPhone Upgrades

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:32 am PDT by
The Apple Intelligence features that Apple introduced with iOS 18 are not pushing people to upgrade their iPhones, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated today. Apple's recent Siri failures are also going to have an impact on 2025 iPhone shipments, which the market is beginning to realize. As early as last July, Kuo said expectations that Apple Intelligence could drive iPhone upgrades were...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired

Major macOS 16 Redesign to Bring Biggest Changes Since Big Sur

Wednesday March 12, 2025 2:28 am PDT by
Apple is planning a radical redesign of macOS with version 16, and it could be the most significant visual refresh since macOS Big Sur was introduced in 2020, according to Bloomberg. MacRumors concept render The upcoming Mac operating system will reportedly be part of Apple's sweeping effort to create a more consistent interface across all of its platforms, including iPhone, iPad, and Apple...