1. Email shortcuts
Hovering on an email conversation in your Gmail inbox will reveal shortcuts such as Archive, Delete, Mark as Read, and Snooze, right next to the preview. While the first three were already a part of Gmail's functionality, Snooze is the latest addition and it allows you to put off emails that you cannot get to at the moment. Shortcuts for apps such as Keep, Tasks, and Google Calendar will also be available on the right edge. These features are currently available on Inbox by Gmail.
2. "Nudge" you for replies
Gmail is also introducing an AI-powered "nudge" feature that will prompt users to follow up and respond to messages that haven't been replied to. For instance, for received emails, Gmail will use text like "Received X days ago. Reply?", and for sent emails, the mailing client will use text such as "Sent X days ago. Follow up?".
3. Smart Reply
After rumours from earlier this month, Smart Reply on Gmail's web interface has been rolled out in the New Gmail - almost a year after it came to the mobile version. This feature provides the user with contextual responses to reply to emails received. For instance, Gmail will detect when questions have been sent to your inbox and will offer responses in variations of Yes, No, or Maybe. These replies will vary depending on the context and history of messages. If you're already using the Gmail app, you know what these look like. Inbox by Gmail already has Smart Reply built in as well.
4. Risk warnings
Gmail on the Web will now display a risk warning prompt when it detects an email received from a potentially suspicious source. The prompt will display warning text - "This message seems dangerous" and offer a 'Delete Now' button. This will offer some protection against clicking on harmful links in emails that capture the user in a phishing/ impersonation scam.
5. Confidential Mode with 2-factor authentication
A new Confidential Mode, made possible due to Information Rights Management (IRM), has been added to Gmail. Available while composing an email, the mode provides senders with the option to prevent the recipient from forwarding, copying/ pasting, downloading, and printing the content in the email. This works even when mailing non-Gmail users, by sending a link instead of the actual email. When the sent mail is opened, the link will be fetched and displayed if you mailed another Gmail user, while other email users will only see the link; in both cases the security measures you set will be in force.
Additionally, an expiration date can be set to automatically delete the email after the mentioned time interval. Recepient verification is also available in Confidential Mode, which allows for standard or 2-factor SMS passcode verification.