Gmail, the most used email address in the world with an estimated 425 million users, has finally added a two-click solution to trolls and spammers that allow you to “block” those that bother you on a regular basis.
It’s about time
Gmail has for some time allowed users to filter messages to see serial offenders sent immediately to a spam folder. The thing is, it was a real chore. I, for one, never quite figured it out and I get a lot of spam. In fact, I found it considerably easier to unsubscribe to the offending email, in the case of mailing lists, at the bottom of the email to unsubscribe directly rather than use Gmail’s filter button.
In my bio on Valuewalk for example, my email is clearly listed for the public to contact me. And while I have indeed received constructive criticism on pieces I’ve written as well as unsolicited job offers (which I like) I’ve also been inundated with rubbish which clearly coincided with my decision to list my email in my bio. To make it worse, someone even went so far as to subscribe to numerous mailing lists without my permission. Suffice is to say, today is a good day as a Gmail user.
Google makes the announcement
In a blog post today, at Google wrote…..
Sometimes you get mail from someone who’s really disruptive. Hopefully it doesn’t happen often—but when it does, you should be able to say, “Never see messages from this person again.” That’s why you can now block specific email addresses in Gmail—starting today on the web, and over the next week on Android. Future mail will go to the spam folder (and you can always unblock in Settings).
Additionally, Google is rolling out an unsubscribe feature for those using Gmail on an Android-powered device.
In addition, the unsubscribe option is now making its way to Android, so you’ll be able to opt out of eligible mailing lists directly from the Gmail app. It’s perfect for those newsletters you subscribed to a while back but don’t read any more.
The rollout
I’ve already been quite busy today using the feature to block a number of people meaning, at least for me, it’s already available in the “More” section next to “Reply.” The Android feature will show up in the coming week according to Google.
