On Tuesday, October 24, Google launched third-party app add-ons for its e-mail service. According to Google, the latest feature for Gmail will simplify things for users as they would not have to toggle between their inbox and the app to complete a task. The add-ons will allow a user to integrate third-party apps right into Gmail’s inbox, preventing them from venturing out of the app to take the service’s help. The handy feature will not be restricted to business users and can be used for personal work as well.
Is the feature a surprising move?
The rollout of this feature to the Gmail inbox does not come as a surprise as The Mountain View-based company announced plans of introducing add-ons earlier this year.
In March 2017, at I/O developer conference, Google revealed it intended to integrate add-ons of third-party apps on Gmail.
At the time, the firm showcased only the developer preview of the feature. However, in a blog post on Tuesday, October 24, Gmail’s product manager Aakash Sahney revealed that the firm is ready with its first set of extensions for the Gmail. The functionality was rolled out on October 24 and comes with native extensions from a number of partners the company has worked with such as Dialpad, Asana, Hire, ProsperWorks, Intuit QuickBooks Invoicing, and more. Apart from these, the company will soon introduce the DocuSign add-on as well.
How to get the feature on your Gmail?
Sahney writes that the add-ons will sync itself on all platforms – web, Android, and iOS - once the feature is downloaded and installed on Gmail.
To get the add-ons in the Gmail account, a user will need to select the Settings option located on the top right hand of the inbox. After entering the Settings menu, one needs to click on “Get add-ons” to install the feature.
Google is developing native extensions
Google has worked with many partners to provide Gmail users with every available service in the inbox.
While Asana converts all communications between customers, clients, and teammates into traceable tasks, the Hire add-on seamlessly adds candidate names, along with personal information and resume into the app directly from the inbox. The DialPad, on the other hand, facilitates calling and messaging to clients and colleagues and helps a user automatically view all communications from the mailbox. The add-on also enables one to save a new contact directly from Gmail.
