Tag: Gmail

Tech Tip: Give Yourself a Safety Net Before Hitting Send

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Rushed emails are one of the easiest ways to create unnecessary confusion, embarrassment, or rework, and using delayed or scheduled sending gives you a short buffer after pressing send to catch mistakes, rethink tone, or make sure your message lands at the right moment.

How to do it:

Outlook

Compose email > Options tab > Delay Delivery
Choose a delay of 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes, or set a specific date and time > Close > Send

Gmail

Compose email > Down arrow next to Send > Schedule send
Select a suggested send time or set a custom date and time, as Gmail supports scheduled sending rather than short delay options > Send

Why it helps

That short delay or scheduled send acts as a safety net, giving you time to correct typos, rethink wording that could be misread, or avoid sending messages outside working hours, helping your emails land more clearly and professionally.

Please note

It isn’t currently possible to delay or schedule messages natively in WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, so once you hit send, the message goes immediately with no built-in buffer to catch mistakes. Also, most other email platforms focus on scheduled sending rather than true send delays. Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail, Proton Mail, and Zoho Mail allow emails to be sent at a chosen future date and time.

Tech Tip – How To Undo Send in Gmail and Outlook

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Avoid email mistakes with Gmail and Outlook’s Undo Send feature, a handy safety net for business communications. Here’s how:

For Gmail:

– After sending an email, look for the “Undo” prompt in the bottom left corner.

Click Undo before the time limit expires (5-10 seconds, or up to 30 seconds if set in settings).

– To change the undo time, go to Settings > See all settings > General > Undo Send, pick your cancellation period, and click Save Changes.

For Outlook:

– After sending an email, look for the “Undo” prompt at the bottom of the screen.

Click Undo within the set time frame (up to 10 seconds).

– To enable or adjust, go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and Reply, and set your preferred delay.

This feature gives you a crucial window to correct mistakes, ensuring accuracy and professionalism in your business emails.

Company Check : Google Accused of Political Filtering in Gmail

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Gmail’s spam filters have come under fresh scrutiny after US FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson accused Google of suppressing Republican fundraising emails while letting similar Democratic messages through.

Direct Accusation from the FTC

In a letter dated 28 August 2025, Ferguson wrote directly to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, alleging that Gmail’s filtering system may be violating US consumer protection law by unfairly targeting one side of the political spectrum.

“My understanding from recent reporting is that Gmail’s spam filters routinely block messages from reaching consumers when those messages come from Republican senders but fail to block similar messages sent by Democrats,” Ferguson stated in the letter, published on the FTC’s website.

He cited a New York Post report that found identical fundraising emails, differing only by party, had been treated unequally by Gmail’s filtering system. The letter suggests such behaviour could breach Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, particularly those that harm consumers’ ability to make choices or receive important information.

Ferguson warned that Alphabet’s “alleged partisan treatment of comparable messages or messengers in Gmail to achieve political objectives may violate” the law, and said an FTC investigation and enforcement action may follow.

Political Context Behind the Complaint

It’s worth noting at this point that Ferguson, a former solicitor general of Virginia, was appointed as FTC Chairman by Donald Trump in January 2025 following the President’s return to office. He replaced Lina Khan, a vocal critic of Big Tech, and has made no secret of his intention to target what he sees as political bias by dominant technology platforms.

In December 2024, Trump described Ferguson as “the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History,” adding that Ferguson had “a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship.” Ferguson himself has argued that if platforms work together to suppress conservative views, they may be guilty of antitrust violations.

This political backdrop has led some observers to question whether the accusations against Google are being made entirely in good faith, or as part of a broader effort to align the FTC’s enforcement agenda with Republican political objectives.

Google Says “Filters Apply Equally”

Google has responded by rejecting the accusation that its spam filters discriminate based on political ideology.

In a statement, spokesperson José Castañeda said: “Email filter protections are in place to keep our users safe, and they apply equally to all senders, regardless of political affiliation.”

Google has long maintained that its filtering decisions are driven by user feedback, email engagement metrics (such as open and click rates), and security concerns, not by any partisan motive. In fact, in 2022, the company launched a pilot programme allowing political campaigns to apply for exemption from spam filtering, after similar accusations were raised during the US midterms.

Despite this, the Republican National Committee (RNC) sued Google in October 2022, claiming emails from Republican groups were being systematically filtered to spam during key fundraising periods. That lawsuit was dismissed in 2023 due to lack of evidence, although it has since been revived.

What Is Gmail’s Filtering Actually Doing?

While some critics argue Gmail suppresses conservative messages, academic research on the topic is inconclusive. A 2022 study from North Carolina State University found that Gmail filtered more right-leaning emails to spam than left-leaning ones, while Yahoo and Outlook tended to do the opposite. However, the researchers also noted that much of Gmail’s filtering was based on user behaviour and sender reputation, not politics.

Google pointed out at the time that Gmail users have full control over spam settings, and that users can mark any email as “not spam” to prevent future filtering.

That said, the subject remains politically sensitive. Fundraising emails are a key revenue stream for US political campaigns, and if filters prevent delivery, they can materially impact donations and voter engagement.

Ferguson’s letter argues: “Consumers expect that they will have the opportunity to hear from their own chosen candidates or political party. A consumer’s right to hear from candidates or parties, including solicitations for donations, is not diminished because that consumer’s political preferences may run counter to your company’s or your employees’ political preferences.”

Could Google Face Penalties or Restrictions?

If the FTC finds that Google has violated the FTC Act, the company could face enforcement action, including fines or mandated changes to Gmail’s filtering systems. However, such action would require a formal investigation and proof that any bias is systematic and not attributable to legitimate filtering criteria.

It’s also unclear how such an investigation would reconcile users’ rights to avoid spam with senders’ rights to reach inboxes. Ferguson’s interpretation of consumer harm appears to rest on the assumption that missed political emails constitute a denial of free speech or access to political discourse, which is something Google is likely to contest.

Google does not publicly disclose the exact algorithms or rule sets behind its spam detection system, citing security and abuse prevention concerns. Any forced transparency could have knock-on effects for email security and user privacy.

What This Means for Businesses and Email Platforms

This case raises broader questions for email platforms, regulators, and business senders, particularly in the UK, where GDPR and PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) place strict limits on unsolicited marketing.

If the US FTC sets a precedent that political fundraising emails cannot be filtered as spam without triggering regulatory scrutiny, it may embolden other organisations, including businesses, to claim similar protections. This could undermine the effectiveness of spam filters, frustrate end-users, and expose platforms to further regulatory pressure.

For UK businesses, this case highlights the fine balance between sender rights and consumer protection. Email campaigns must navigate complex consent rules and content standards, while email service providers must demonstrate that their filtering practices are fair, consistent, and user-driven.

Key Challenges and Questions Ahead

Ferguson’s letter exposes the change in regulatory posture toward Big Tech under Trump’s second term. However, legal and technical barriers remain. For example, successfully proving partisan intent behind essentially secret algorithmic filtering is notoriously difficult, especially when the same tools are used to combat phishing, scams, and malware.

Also, while Ferguson’s language is strong, i.e. warning that “Alphabet may be engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices”, it is not yet clear whether a full-scale investigation is underway or likely to be.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The deeper challenge now facing Google is how to respond without weakening the very protections that users expect from email filtering. If Gmail adjusts its filters in response to political pressure, it risks opening the door to wider claims of bias from other interest groups, including corporate marketers and advocacy organisations. This could reduce user trust in the platform’s ability to safeguard inboxes from unwanted or harmful content. At the same time, refusing to alter its approach may invite further regulatory scrutiny from a politically motivated FTC, especially given Ferguson’s stated aim of tackling what he sees as anti-conservative censorship by tech platforms.

For regulators, the situation is no less complex. Ferguson’s framing of email filtering as a potential violation of the FTC Act relies on defining political emails as essential consumer content. That may be a difficult case to make without clearer evidence of intent or unequal treatment that goes beyond what automated systems already do in response to user signals. Yet the fact that this issue has been raised so directly at such a senior level suggests it is unlikely to fade quickly.

For UK businesses, the implications are more practical than political. Any moves in the US to curb the ability of platforms to filter unsolicited messages could have downstream effects on email service standards, especially for multinational tech providers like Google. If filtering rules are softened or become more contested, businesses may see higher volumes of low-quality or irrelevant messages reaching customers, increasing the risk of consumer disengagement or even regulatory backlash under UK and EU privacy laws. It may also complicate how marketing platforms classify and process outbound email campaigns.

Google finds itself once again in the position of defending complex algorithmic processes against public accusations that are simple to make but hard to refute. Ferguson, meanwhile, has positioned the FTC as a key actor in the battle over perceived ideological bias online, bringing renewed pressure to bear on how tech firms balance neutrality, safety, and control.

For businesses and users alike, the way this unfolds could influence not just inbox filters, but broader expectations of platform fairness and responsibility.

Video Update : Connect ChatGPT To Gmail

Posted on by Paul Stradling

You can now connect your ChatGPT account directly to GMail and harness the power of deep-research and all the other bells-and-whistles to make your usage of GMail (and other Goole services such as you Google calendar etc) as productive as possible.

[Note – To Watch This Video without glitches/interruptions, It may be best to download it first]

Tech Tip – Snooze Gmail Messages to Deal With Them Later

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Busy Gmail inbox? The ‘Snooze’ feature lets you temporarily hide an email and have it reappear at a date and time when you’re ready to act on it.

How to:

– Hover over the email in your Gmail inbox.
– Click the clock icon (Snooze) on the right.
– Choose a preset time like “Tomorrow” or “Next week”, or click Pick date & time to choose your own.
– The email will disappear from your inbox and return at the scheduled time—marked as unread and flagged for attention.

What it’s for:

Keeps your inbox clear and helps you deal with non‑urgent emails at the right moment—ideal when you’re on the move, in meetings or just prioritising.

Pro‑Tip: Snoozed emails appear in your Snoozed tab (left-hand menu), so you can check or reschedule them at any time.

Tech Tip – Paste as Plain Text with Ctrl + Shift + V

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Pasting something into an email or document and don’t want all the messy fonts or colours? Use Ctrl + Shift + V instead of Ctrl + V to paste without formatting.

How to:

– Highlight and copy your text as normal (Ctrl + C).
– When pasting, press Ctrl + Shift + V instead of just Ctrl + V.
– The text will appear as plain, unformatted text.

What it’s for:

Saves time when you need clean content for emails, reports, or shared documents—no more wasting time stripping out inconsistent fonts or hidden links.

Pro‑Tip: This shortcut works in Chrome, Word, Outlook, Gmail and many modern apps. Ideal for shared docs where consistent formatting matters.

Tech Tip – Use Gmail’s Confidential Mode to Send Secure Emails

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Need to send a sensitive email that shouldn’t stick around or be shared? Gmail’s Confidential Mode lets your message self-destruct after a set time, blocks forwarding, copying, downloading and printing, and adds optional passcode protection.

How to:

– In Gmail, click Compose.
– Tap the lock with a clock icon at the bottom of the compose window.
– Choose an expiry date (from 1 day up to 5 years).
– Select SMS passcode if you want to add verification.
– Click Save, then write and send your email.

What it’s for:

Use this when emailing things like passwords, financial details, legal documents or quotes — anything that shouldn’t be saved or shared. The expiry ensures your message won’t linger indefinitely, and the recipient can’t easily forward or download it.

Pro-Tip: Add an expiry reminder in the subject line (e.g. “Expires in 7 days”) — and remember recipients can still screenshot the content, so it’s best for lower-sensitivity communications.

Tech News : Gmail Now Summarises Emails Automatically

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Gmail users will now see AI-generated summary cards appear by default at the top of long emails, thanks to an automatic update to Google’s Gemini assistant.

Google Doubles Down on Inbox AI

Google has announced that as of 29 May 2025, its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) assistant will automatically summarise long email threads in Gmail, without waiting for a prompt or tap from the user. The update, initially rolling out to mobile users on Android and iOS, is part of a move towards integrating AI more seamlessly (and visibly) into everyday productivity tools.

Until now, users could choose to trigger a summary by tapping a button labelled “Summarise this email.” However, with this change, Gemini summary cards will start appearing by default on eligible emails, unless the user has opted out of smart features or is in a region where they are disabled by default.

The move by Google could be seen as less of a visual tweak, and more of a subtle but significant change in the relationship between users, their inboxes, and Google’s AI.

What Is Gemini, and Why Does It Matter?

Gemini is Google’s suite of generative AI tools, positioned as a direct competitor to Microsoft Copilot and other AI assistants. It spans across multiple Google Workspace apps including Docs, Sheets, and Gmail, offering assistance with drafting content, summarising information, and generating replies.

Originally introduced under the “Duet AI” brand in 2023, Gemini was rebranded and expanded in early 2024 as part of Google’s wider AI push. Its integration into Gmail’s side panel was one of the first widely adopted use cases, giving users access to email-specific tools like drafting responses, summarising lengthy threads, and generating replies using natural language.

Up to now, Gemini’s role in Gmail has largely been opt-in, with users having to initiate actions themselves.

From Passive Tool to Active Assistant

With the new update, Gemini becomes more assertive. For example, long or complex emails, especially those that form part of back-and-forth threads, will now automatically display a summary card at the top of the message. The card outlines the key points of the conversation so far and will update dynamically as new replies come in.

Google says this move is intended to save users time and reduce email fatigue, a problem that has long plagued busy professionals. For example, according to a 2024 McKinsey report, workers still spend around 28 per cent of their workweek reading and responding to emails. Google is, therefore, betting that AI summaries can streamline this process, especially on mobile, where skimming a long message chain is often more tedious.

In an announcement on its Workspace Updates blog, Google said the feature “will synthesise all the key points from the email thread, and any replies thereafter will also be a part of the synopsis, keeping all summaries up to date.”

Who Gets It and When?

The feature began rolling out on 29 May 2025 to Rapid Release domains and is now gradually being deployed across Scheduled Release domains over a 15-day window. It’s available to the following Google Workspace editions:

– Business Starter, Standard, and Plus.

– Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus.

– Google One AI Premium.

– Gemini Business and Enterprise customers (existing add-ons).

– Gemini Education and Education Premium add-on users.

The feature is currently limited to English-language emails, and Google has not yet announced support for other languages.

Smart Features

Importantly, Gemini summary cards are only visible to users who have smart features and personalisation turned on in Gmail. These settings control whether Google can use AI to offer tailored features based on content in a user’s inbox.

In some regions, including the UK, EU, Switzerland, and Japan, smart features are turned off by default due to local data protection laws. Users in these areas would need to manually enable the feature in Gmail’s settings to start seeing the summary cards.

How to Opt Out or Take Back Control

For users who’d rather not have Gemini skimming their emails on their behalf, there are ways to disable the feature. For example, users can:

– Go to Gmail Settings > See all settings > Smart features and personalisation.

– Toggle off “Smart features” to prevent summary cards and other AI-based tools from appearing.

– Disable “Smart features in Gmail, Chat and Meet” for more comprehensive opt-out control.

Admins of Google Workspace domains can also manage these settings at a policy level from the Admin Console, giving organisations central control over the feature’s rollout.

It’s worth noting here that, even with the automatic summaries in place, the manual “Summarise this email” chip still remains, both at the top of eligible emails and in the Gemini side panel. This means that users who want to selectively invoke AI help can still do so.

Automation or Overreach?

While Google pitches the change as a productivity boost, not everyone is celebrating the move. For example, one key concern is accuracy. AI summaries, particularly those generated in real time from nuanced human conversations, are notoriously hit-and-miss. Even Google’s own AI Overviews in Search have come under fire for offering incorrect or misleading answers, as recently highlighted in a series of viral screenshots on social media.

Google’s not alone in being criticised for this. For example, it’s also been reported that Apple’s push-notification summaries, based on similar AI technology, repeatedly misinterpreted news headlines. Apple has since paused that feature for news apps, pending a fix.

It seems that a similar level of scepticism now surrounds Gmail’s automatic summaries. Critics argue that important context can easily be lost or misrepresented by an AI synopsis, especially in complex or emotionally nuanced threads.

As highlighted by Dr Jenna McCarthy, a digital communications researcher at the University of Manchester: “This kind of automation risks giving people a false sense of understanding,” adding that “Summaries might look slick, but in business or legal emails, the devil is often in the detail.”

It’s worth noting here that Google itself actually appears to acknowledge this limitation. For example, in its support documentation, the company stresses that the summaries are meant to complement human reading, not replace it.

Privacy and Trust Still Under Scrutiny

Alongside concerns about accuracy, privacy remains a hot topic. Although Google insists that all AI interactions respect user data protection rules and don’t expose personal content to human reviewers, the idea of automated scanning, even for benign purposes like summarising, may raise some eyebrows among privacy-conscious users.

Google directs users to its Privacy Hub for more information, but as with other AI features, transparency is key. Users are likely to expect more clarity around how data is used, stored, and processed when features like this are switched on by default.

Part of a Move Towards Embedded AI

Google’s update also reflects a broader industry direction, i.e. AI tools are increasingly moving from optional add-ons to proactive, built-in features. Rather than waiting for user prompts, systems like Gemini are starting to anticipate needs and take action automatically.

In Google’s case, the aim appears to be to create a more seamless experience across Workspace, where AI quietly handles repetitive or time-consuming tasks like summarising threads, without disrupting the user’s workflow. This aligns with recent updates across other Workspace apps, where Gemini is being positioned as a default productivity layer rather than a separate tool.

However, the effectiveness of this approach will depend heavily on how much trust users place in the AI’s accuracy and judgement—and how much control they feel they still have over their own inbox.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

While the arrival of automatic Gemini summaries may seem like a small design tweak, the implications actually go much deeper. By removing the need for users to actively request a summary, Google is signalling a shift towards AI that no longer waits in the wings, but steps forward by default. For some, that may be welcome, especially for those managing high volumes of email who are eager to shave precious minutes off their working day. However, for others, the change may raise fresh concerns around trust, data processing, and the growing opacity of algorithmic decision-making in everyday tools.

For UK businesses, the move could offer real productivity gains, particularly in fast-paced environments where clarity and speed of communication are key. Admins can tailor how the feature is used across teams, allowing for top-down management of when and where AI steps in. But the benefits must be weighed carefully against the risks, especially when dealing with sensitive conversations, contractual details, or any context where nuance really matters. There is a clear responsibility on organisations to communicate how these features work, and to ensure staff feel confident in knowing when to rely on AI and when to override it.

It’s also likely to prompt fresh conversations among regulators, particularly in the UK and across Europe where smart features are already turned off by default. The tension between helpful automation and meaningful consent is growing sharper as more tools cross that line from optional to ambient. For users, the key will be staying informed, knowing not just what AI is doing, but how to retain agency and control in the process.

Ultimately, Gemini’s automatic summaries are part of a broader evolution in how AI is being woven into our daily workflows. The question now is not just whether the technology works, but whether people trust it enough to let it work for them.

Tech News : New Feature To Declutter Your Gmail Inbox

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Included in a recent major update to Google’s Gmail on Android (for now), a new feature can help users to declutter and remove annoying spam from their inbox.

Select All Option

The new feature (currently being rolled out) enables users to use a “Select all” tick box that appears above (top left) in the inbox (on the Gmail for Android app) when the user long holds on an email. Selecting the tick box then means all 50 emails displayed on the page are be selected at once and then deleted with one tap or organised as required.

Easy Unsubscribe 

Also, Gmail for Android now includes a straightforward way to unsubscribe. Users can now click on an email from a company whose mailing list they have subscribed to and a clear ‘Unsubscribe’ link is now shown top right in the email, rather than having to scroll to the bottom. This could help speed up and simplify the process of decluttering the Gmail inbox.

It should be noted, however, that on trying this out on an (Android) Gmail inbox, it didn’t appear to display the unsubscribe link at the top of certain emails. Google has said that Google Pixel phones are first in line for the changes, and more Android devices will follow.

For those users who don’t see the unsubscribe link at the top of emails, it may also be the case that they don’t have the latest version of the Gmail app.

What’s So Bad About Email Inbox Clutter? 

As highlighted by a Zipwhip study (2020), email box clutter is common with 39 per cent of individuals having over 100 unread emails, and 20 per cent having over 1,000 unread emails. Mailbird’s Email Overload Survey, helps explain how the problem can build up, with the majority of workers receiving between 61 to 100 emails daily, but with only a minor fraction of these relevant to their actual work.

This is an important subject, particularly for businesses, because some of main problems and issues that email inbox clutter can cause include:

– Feeling overwhelmed by too many unread emails has been shown to reduce enthusiasm and create a sense of frustration.

– A loss of productivity and wasted time (and money) can result from having to sift through irrelevant emails, distracting from meaningful and value-adding work.

– The increased stress that can result from a relentless flow of emails and the effort to manage them can heighten anxiety.

– Disrupted focus from constant email notifications can lead to frequent context switching and hinder job efficiency.

– The potential to miss crucial messages that can get lost in the clutter.

New Spam-Reducing Guidelines From February

One way that spam and email box clutter is to be tackled from the other direction is through newly expanded Google and Yahoo guidelines for high-volume emailers, which come into force from 1 February. The Guidelines will essentially force all bulk emailers (5,000 or more email a-day senders) using Yahoo and Google to adhere to strict new rules. The hope is that this could hit some spammers hard, perhaps reducing the amount of spam in our inboxes.

What Else Can Be Done? 

In addition to the decluttering features introduced by email providers such as Google or Microsoft, general good practice that can minimise email inbox clutter includes:

– Getting into the habit of regularly cleaning out old or irrelevant emails (and unsubscribing) and checking emails at designated times to avoid constant interruptions.

– Using folders or labels to categorise emails and prioritise important ones.

– Keeping work and personal emails in separate accounts to manage them more effectively.

– Adjusting email notification settings to reduce distractions and maintain focus on current tasks.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

With email still being a critical communications centre for businesses, finding effective, fast, free / low-cost ways to declutter and escape from spam can bring many benefits (as outlined above). In the case of Gmail, users have long wanted better decluttering tools, so these new features are likely to be welcomed and used.

As expected (being Google), it is Android Gmail app users who benefit first and the hope is that the features are extended to Apple’s iOS soon. It’s likely to be the case that for most users, Gmail is not their main business email, and this is likely to be a contributor to the build-up of clutter. That said, various Gmail accounts may be used by many SMEs at various points in their value chains so anything that helps save time, enable them to cut through clutter, and quickly spot the most valuable communications and opportunities is likely to be welcome. Microsoft, for example, introduced several business-focused features in an update in November such as advanced email handling rules, which included multi-layered rules for filtering and managing emails. It’s no surprise, therefore, that Google is now upping its (email) game and is likely to continue doing so, hopefully making our lives easier in the process.