Google launches 'block sender' and 'unsubscribe' options for Gmail on Android

By Lorraine Caballero, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, September 24, 2015

Google has launched the "block sender" and "unsubscribe" options for Gmail on Android, granting two of the most wanted features for the email service.

On Tuesday, Google rolled out a Gmail update that includes two new features that would allow users to easily block unwanted messages from certain email IDs and op out from newsletters. The block sender option is now available for Gmail on the Web, while Gmail on Android will have the new features by next week, according to NDTV.

The blocked mails from unwanted email IDs will skip the inbox and go directly to the spam folder. Users can also tweak the Gmail settings to unblock certain email IDs. They can also access the block option by clicking on the three-dot menu button situated on the top-right side of the screen, Mashable reports.

Google explained that the block option is not the same as the Report Spam feature. Blocking an email ID would only send all future emails from that sender to the spam folder and will not affect that person's reputation.

"Blocking a sender will result in having all future messages from a specific email address be moved directly to spam. It does not hurt the reputation of that sender," NDTV quotes Google's explanation to VentureBeat. "'Report spam', however, provides feedback to Gmail on the nature of the email and helps it improve its classification overall."

Users will have to wait until next week for the block feature for Gmail on Android, but India and other regions have already received the update for the Gmail app.

Aside from blocking a sender, Gmail users can now also unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters via the mobile app. This feature was already rolled out on Gmail for Web last year, but the updated app can now be downloaded from Google Play.

The unsubscribe option allows users to opt out of unwanted mailing lists without going to a website. They can just do it from the Gmail app and skip the manual process of unsubscribing.

For now, the block sender and unsubscribe features will be exclusive to Gmail for Web and Android app only. Google says the company has yet to confirm when the new features will be included in the iOS or mobile web.