Ads in the Updates tab and sprinkled throughout your inbox
For as useful as Gmail is, Google is always striving to make it a better experience. The company recently introduced a Twitter-like checkmark in the email app for companies to prove their legitimacy and began testing generative AI tools to help people write. Still, with every good feature comes a not-so-good one as more ads will now start showing up in every corner of Gmail.
Though ads have been a part of Gmail for a long time, certain corners of the app were free of them. According to 9to5Google, Google is increasing its ad placement in the email app, with some now showing up in the Updates filter. This section was mostly reserved for emails involving order confirmations, bills, and more, but the report states it was the only filter view that didn’t include ads.
Gmail on desktop has included ads in the past, but most were relegated to the top of the inbox where we would clearly see they were ads. Many users took to Twitter to report that ads have infiltrated the depths of their inboxes with some showing up between actual emails, stirring up confusion and frustration.
Despite these reports, we have yet to see a change in ads on our Gmail accounts yet. It’s unclear if Google upped the ad intensity purposefully, seeing as though it hasn’t been widely rolled out, or if they are simply testing the increased ads with select accounts, but most users sure aren’t happy with this change.
With Google I/O set for May 10, the company is getting ready to touch on a number of different topics such as the new version of Android and AI advancements, but it’s not certain if it’ll speak about any changes it’s made to Gmail.
