Along with the major design overhaul for Gmail, Google also announces an offline mode for the site.
This new mode will allow users to compose e-mails and do a number of tasks even when they aren't connected to the internet. Now, the feature is slowly rolling out to more people.
G Suite users may have to ask their Google admin to enable it, but those with ordinary accounts are bound to get it soon. To activate it now, though, they should go to Settings, navigate to the Offline tab, and tick "Enable offline mail." This option will only be available on the new Gmail and if Google Chrome is updated to version 61 or higher.
Gmail Offline Mode
With offline mode enabled, users can read, respond, and search for e-mails even in the absence of an internet connection. All the changes made offline will then be applied and synced once a decent connection becomes available.
Take note that Gmail stores data locally for this to work, so make sure there's enough storage space available, Forbes notes. A number of options are available with the offline mode such as whether to store emails that are 7, 30, or even 90 days old, along with the attachments.
There's also a security section that lets users choose if they want to keep offline data on their computer or remove it. When users choose to keep it, the data will not be deleted from the computer once they sign out of their Google account.
To delete the account data, users must first disable offline mode and save the changes. Also, for those who chose to delete data from their computer, it will need to be redownloaded and resynced each time, which might take a few hours.
It's possible to send e-mails while in offline mode, but these messages will be stored in the Outbox folder until a network is available, at which point it will promptly get sent.
Why There's An Offline Mode
The offline mode could be a godsend feature for those with jobs that require them to travel often by plane, where Wi-Fi is nearly always absent. They can read, compose, manage, and respond to e-mails while en route to their destination. Once they land, they can connect their device to the internet and have it synced automatically.
Do you find the concept of Gmail's offline mode useful? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below.
