Gmail's New Look Is About To Become Opt-Out Instead of Opt-In (theverge.com) 22
Google started rolling out an updated user interface for Gmail in February that pulls Meet, Chat, and Spaces closer and applies more of its Material You styling effects. Starting today, it's becoming opt-out instead of opt-in, so your account will switch over to the new view by default pretty soon. The Verge reports: If you can't tell what's different here, the updated UI collects buttons for Mail, Meet, Spaces, and Chat into one list at the top of the left rail instead of showing several conversations from each one in a list. They're still easily accessible without having everything on screen at once, and you can quickly jump into a conversation in any one section as a list will pop out when you mouse over its icon. And if you just want to have one particular form of communication on screen without the others (like Gmail), it's a little easier to do that since Chat and the rest aren't listed underneath your inboxes and labels anymore.
According to Google, you can choose which apps are included there in the Quick Settings menu, where you'll be able to switch back to the old look if you prefer. Unlike the usual 15-day rollout for new features, Google says this one is an "extended rollout," so while it's coming to Workspace and personal Gmail accounts alike, it could take longer than a couple of weeks for your interface to change over on its own. If you just want to try it, you should be able to opt-in (and back out) from the quick settings menu right now, as long as you've already switched to Chat from Hangouts and positioned Chat in the left-hand menu.
According to Google, you can choose which apps are included there in the Quick Settings menu, where you'll be able to switch back to the old look if you prefer. Unlike the usual 15-day rollout for new features, Google says this one is an "extended rollout," so while it's coming to Workspace and personal Gmail accounts alike, it could take longer than a couple of weeks for your interface to change over on its own. If you just want to try it, you should be able to opt-in (and back out) from the quick settings menu right now, as long as you've already switched to Chat from Hangouts and positioned Chat in the left-hand menu.
Opt out? (Score:1)
Oh, the humanity!
Re: (Score:2)
Don't ram it down my throat. But what else does anyone expect from the google these days?
How about paying attention to what I am doing and telling me about some new interface features that will help me do those things more easily? Then let me decide when I want to use those interface features, if ever.
Naw, that would be way too much bother. Much easier to just ram the new interface down everyone's throats, including down the throats of any people who will find the new interface worse for the things they are
All I Can Say Is . . . (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
... and mutt.
Re: (Score:1)
Well, and actually, thanks for other e-mail providers. It's been a while since I last used Gmail.
Re: (Score:2)
> . . . thank God for IMAP.
They already disabled regular authentication methods to get all the information about you in unsecured OAuth browser.
The key reason I use GMail is IMAP (Score:5, Informative)
I have a GMail account for all unimportant things I am willing to share my data for whatever statistical/marketing/AI training whatever for giving a valid and lasting email address to 3rd-parties I can't trust for keeping my email private and not spam me or give it to someone who will spam me or when I feel like it will be hard to cancel my account and delete my email from their files.
But I use GMail only because I can connect Thunderbird in IMAP. I hate webmails at as all those online GUI running HTML/JS engines.
It means I really don't care what fancy interface they are willing to push with features I don't care or use. I have my Thunderbird client GUI that I use, know and master since the days it was called Mozilla suite.
Now, the day GMail decide to discontinue or require me to pay actual money for using IMAP, Ill just find another service or roll my own disposable email service for 3rd-parties I cannot trust.
Re: (Score:2)
This, plus the PITA I had with gmail and setting up mutt got me off my butt.
I used gmail only for mailing lists and my own domain for real email. I created a new email address for mailing lists and now gmail is my new waste bucket when some site wants an email. It is now keeping my old yahoo email company.
STOP CHANGING THINGS (Score:4, Informative)
STOP CHANGING THINGS. ITS FINE.
Fire whoever is making these bullshit changes to justify their existance.
Re: (Score:2)
Coders gonna code. It's the same with every piece of software. Eventually you reach some pinnacle and instead of stopping they keep going. Do they keep changing the shape of a hammer? No it has reached peak function.
Hammer (upgrade) time (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Maybe they should grind on making dark mode work on all this Google shit. I hate switching from my inbox to my calendar and being blinded.
Re: (Score:2)
STOP CHANGING THINGS. ITS FINE.
Fire whoever is making these bullshit changes to justify their existance.
Read the headline: You can still opt out.
Re: (Score:2)
For how long?
Only the google knows. And they ain't going to tell you. You're just another stinking peasant.
Re: (Score:2)
This. Google Talk was great. It was a revelation, in fact. But they kept changing it until it was broken beyond recognition. How many chat systems has Google already tried to then discontinued? Just stick with one and make it work.
Re: STOP CHANGING THINGS (Score:2)
Please keep changing things. I bet the current sense of Gmail is probably only 1% of the total lifetime users of it - I.e. there'll surely be vastly more users in future than there are now. It doesn't make sense for those 99% to suffer anything for the convenience and familiarity of current users.
HTML view (Score:5, Informative)
There's some missing functionality, like I think the little menu that lets you select all, all unread, all unstarred, etc. to perform an action on isn't there. So in some cases I switch to the regular view, usually when I'm cleaning out my inbox. But the vast majority of the time, I'm just using HTML view.
Re: (Score:2)
HTML view is the second best, with the best being just buy your own domain and use an email provider like runbox
Opt out-only feature = coercion (Score:3)
Users will not opt out if they are not told that they can.
Users will not opt out if it is too difficult to find the setting, or understand how it works.
Lots of users will not opt out -> Google could claim that the new design is a success.
Re: (Score:2)
This is probably how it turns out to be. A facade of fake/moot choice to hide the fact that Google concerns for end-users are the the very bottom of priorities. Stuffs that matters are profitability. Advertisers to continue paying Google for collected data and advertising exposure.
For the paid user accounts (read corporate), yes Google care some more, because they need features and appealing interface to better sells their product. For all other "free" users (as you are the product for advertising big data