Google is working to make things easier to find in your inbox with a huge Gmail update. Specifically, the company is upgrading the Summary Cards feature that attempts to summarize emails with information at the top of the email
Up until now, you've probably seen summary cards in regards to shipping information for items you've purchased. This usually shows up on order confirmation emails where you might get a box at the top of the email with the tracking link.
After the latest Gmail update, that box will expand to other subjects and should be more useful and timely. “The action will be relevant to the stage that you are in,” says Maria Fernandez Guajardo, senior director of product for Gmail, in a blog post.
Shopping is already covered by summary cards but three other email types are getting the cards, including events, travel and bills.
The idea behind the four verticals is that in general emails related to those areas contain a lot of information, with links and other key points that can be difficult to surface. Now, Gmail will shift through those emails and put the information at the top.
Along with the new areas, the cards are also getting new features, including "offer[ing] new action buttons, like adding an event to your Calendar and inviting others or setting a bill payment reminder."
It doesn't appear that the cards will clog up your inbox, but instead be relegated to the relevant emails. That said, Google is also adding a new "Happening soon" section at the top of your inbox.
"To start, purchase summary cards will appear here, and this section will only show up when it’s relevant," Guajardo writes. "For example, once the estimated delivery date of a purchase is two days away, “Happening soon” will show the purchase summary card, allowing you to see when your package is arriving at a glance."
The cards will update based on the date and stack if you have multiple purchases on the way. From there you can dismiss the card or click into the related email.
The new cards will be available on Android and iOS Gmail apps starting today. As with most Google updates, it is a rollout. We tested it on our personal and work emails and the updated summary cards showed up in our personal email. However, it wasn't available for our work Gmail account as of this writing.
The blog post noted that some of the features will come out in the "coming months."
