5 things Gmail needs to fix

Gmail needs to fix a few things. Sure, it’s a great email service, perhaps the best there is. Nearly two billion people use it every day. But some of its features are becoming a little aged, while others are downright frustrating. Inboxes are getting cluttered, and the mobile app leaves a lot to be desired. Search could be a lot better, and third-party services could be better integrated. Maybe AI will fix some of these issues.

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1 Inbox Clutter

It’s time to simplify the inbox

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Gmail’s tabs are weird and always have been. The default inbox sorting is by Primary, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. This should be turned into two tabs at the most, kind of like how Outlook has Focused and Other. Are forums even a thing anymore?

You can turn off these tabs by going into Settings, then See all settings, and then clicking on Inbox. You’ll see Categories and can check or uncheck the boxes here to rearrange how your inbox looks. But why should we have to jump through hoops?

Also, when messages pile up in Gmail, it can get cluttered quickly. And why do the same messages appear in Primary and Updates? Other apps, such as Spark or Google’s old Inbox, have shown us that a cleaner and more focused inbox is possible.

AI Solution:

Expect Google to use AI to improve email sorting in Gmail any day now. Gemini is about to drop in Gmail, and while we have reservations, it could begin to help with the clutter.

2 Fix the mobile app

The Gmail mobile app is just plain bad

A smartphone with the Gmail app open displaying emails

The Gmail app is a weird hybrid of a desktop web app and a mobile app, yet fails at both. A lot of this comes back to those nonsensical categories, which Google insists on porting over to the mobile app. Only you need to open a side menu and tap through each category tab to see them. The mobile version often separates different accounts into their own inboxes, and if you’re using another provider with Gmail, such as Outlook or Protonmail, you can’t snooze or do anything else with their emails. It’s a frustrating experience.

AI Solution:

Google could use Gemini to learn how you use your Gmail app on your phone and then personalize your layout. For example, it could put your most used inboxes front and center. Maybe it could predict which emails you need to see first and auto-sort your entire email list based on past behavior. That would be cool.

3 Improve search

Gmail’s search functionality isn’t all that great

A smartphone rests against a windowsill.

Gmail’s search often has trouble finding emails you know are in there. Considering Gmail’s unique take on filing, using tags and archives rather than a hierarchy of folders, you’d think Google would make email searching the strongest part of the experience. Yet it’s 2024, and Gmail’s search still misses emails, especially older emails buried in the archive folder.

Don’t get me wrong; Gmail is still the best at searching through an inbox. No other email provider comes close. But considering it’s the world’s biggest email service from the world’s biggest search company, we expect perfection.

AI Solution:

Search results could be more relevant if Gmail leveraged AI to understand the meaning behind your search terms. Rather than having to input exact words or remember the sender’s name, you could type “The guy who asked about the Pixel 5 I was selling,” and Gmail would know what you’re talking about and surface those emails.

4 More third-party integration

Gmail needs to come out of its mobile silo

Android phone next to window with display showing gmail app.

Gmail’s web version for desktop has a fantastic suite of third-party integrations through the sidebar. With a click on the plus button, you get handy tools such as Slack, Dropbox, and built-in CRMs. But it’s different over on the mobile side.

The Gmail mobile app lacks a lot of the same connectivity to third-party tools. Many work, but many also require leaving the app to save an attachment or add a task, for instance.

AI Solution:

Gemini could analyze the contents of your emails and suggest relevant actions from integrated third-party apps. This would take a lot of work for Google to open up the mobile code, but it would go a long way towards improving the mobile Gmail experience.

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5 Better spam reporting

It’s not easy to report spam that slips through

Gmail is one of the best email services when it comes to filtering out spam. Our inboxes stay surprisingly clean. But scammers never rest and sometimes phishing attempts make it past Google’s security. And when that happens, it’s hard to report them as phishing.

Sure, you can report the spam, but we love Outlook’s take on reporting, where there’s a dedicated choice to report an email as mere spam (aka advertising) or as phishing, which is much more malicious and intentional. The more people who can report phishing emails, the better the world is for everyone.

AI Solution:

AI could easily make spam and phishing reporting easier. It could scan our inboxes, and if it detects anything suspicious, it could ask us about it the next time we log in. Perhaps AI could surface a little “Yes, report as phishing” or “No, it’s fine” box when it detects suspicious emails.

Gmail’s next chapter is AI-powered, and we want to see things improved

Gmail is already one of the best email services in the world, but it could be better. There are a few things Google needs to fix, such as a smarter and leaner inbox, a better mobile experience, and a search function that is reliable all the time. We would also love to see AI-powered phishing reporting. Artificial intelligence is going to transform our Gmail experience. We would like to see it improve our inboxes, as well.