Gmail

This morning a variety of Google services had a bit of a kerfuffle. Status for Google Drive, Google Dogs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Classroom were marked by Google as having a "Service Outage." Per the Google Workspace Status Dashboard, it was only these services that were having a full "outage." However, a significant number of Gmail users reported issues starting at around 8AM central time.

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This week Google sent notifications to users about policy changes that'd be going into effect in the year 2021. These changes affect users of all Google services, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, and the rest. If you're the sort of person who works with a Google One membership, you've got little or nothing to worry about. If you've been using Google services for a long time and never thought to delete an old email, you're going to need to pay attention.

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Prompted by the droves of people working from home, Google has spent much of 2020 rolling out some new features for Gmail. We've seen things like a new quick settings menu and even a unifying redesign for Gmail and Google's other apps, but today, users are getting a rather important new feature that allows them to quickly determine whether or not they want smart settings and personalization within Gmail turned on.

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In the tech services world year it became clear that the free ride is over. We're talking about everything from email to music streaming, photos to files. That which seemed too good to be true was indeed too good to be free. Now is the point at which you'll do well to consider which services you cannot do without, and which services you should end - before they start burning a hole in your pocket.

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Google reminded us again of the terrible, inevitable truth of cloud storage and services. You cannot depend on any one company to hold your data forever. Allowing your photos and videos and whatever other files you've got resting in Google's servers, be it in Google Drive, Google Photos, or even Gmail - Google holds the keys. Google made the case for downloading and/or keeping your files to yourself multiple times over the past year - now's the time to exit.

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Google has created a suite of "lite" apps that are designed for its Android Go special configuration for more resource-constrained phones. Everyone, however, could probably do with such lightweight alternatives to Google's core apps, presuming they're also willing to live with the compromises. Google has, fortunately, made some of those apps available outside of Android Go phones and, for at least a day, it seemed that Gmail Go would become one of those. Unfortunately, that joy was short-lived and Google has pulled out the plug on the app's accidental availability.

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G Suite is going through some big changes today, with Google changing the service's name to Google Workspace. It appears that this change is being made to give a deeper sense of integration among Google's various productivity apps, and to put it in a better position to challenge Microsoft Office. With more people working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the change is coming at a good time to.

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If you're a Gmail user on iOS, then today is an exciting day. Google has pushed an update to the iOS version of Gmail with some exciting patch notes: Gmail can now be set as your default email app. It seems strange that it's taken until iOS 14 for this feature to roll out, but as the saying goes: better late than never.

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There's a new Google logo in the works right now, looking a lot like it's about to drop a key element. We're on the edge of the world now, looking over into the future. This is a future where Google's finally prepared to forget the past in which email is just an electronic version of paper mail. Now, as the envelope is removed entirely, just the M remains.

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This week Google revealed that Gmail will soon get verified brand logos to increase trust in the platform. Google's announcement appeared during Cloud Next '20: OnAir, during Productivity & Collaboration week in general. This system would bring a "brand logo" next to the standard avatar space in the top-left corner of an email message.

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Google's gone ahead and put their efforts to bring a massive update to work-at-home tools into hyperspace. They're packaging the tools as a sort of upgrade to G Suite, but we know better. Given the message this set of changes is delivered with, it's clear Google's prepared itself for what they see as the inevitable. This post-workplace work from home world brought on by COVID-19 and global pandemic isn't just a temporary change - it's the way of the future!

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Google revealed a big unification redesign for Gmail and services like Google Docs, Chat, and Meet calling, making the future of work a top priority. This redesign was revealed during the Google Cloud "Cloud Next '20 OnAir" streamed event, before the fact, in the "Productivity & Collaboration" category. This system looks like it'll target the present and near future of work as "your new home for work - right in Gmail."

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