Google has just given Gmail users two news ways to manage the posts that refill their inboxes around the clock. The Gmail platform is now equipped with the new "Block" and "Unsubscribe" buttons, along with the service's previously installed set of custom filters.
Gmail's "Block" and "Unsubscribe" tools were launched on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Google's product manager Sri Harsha Somanchi offered a rundown on the additions. Just as it is increasingly becoming the case on social media, there are some contacts that are just too spammy.
"Hopefully it doesn't happen often—but when it does, you should be able to say, 'Never see messages from this person again,'" stated Somanchi. "That's why you can now block specific email addresses in Gmail—starting today on the web, and over the next week on Android."
After blocking an email address, future messages from that account will be tossed into the spam bucket with all of the other junk mail—or most of it, for those whose friends think it's okay to share their contact's email addresses.
"So try block or unsubscribe when the situation calls for it," added Somanchi. "And stay in control of your inbox."
Blocking
To block someone, simply tap the chain of dots at the top of one of their messages on mobile or click on the "More" button, the arrow icon, on desktop.
From there, select the "Block" option from the drop-down menu that appears.
Unsubscribing
To unsubscribe from a newsletter via the mobile app, without searching for that tiny opt-out text, tap on that chain of dots at the top of one of the messages from the email campaign. For the desktop version of Gmail, tap on the "More" button.
From there, tap on the "Unsubscribe" option in the menu that appears beneath dots.
Filtering
Tap on the chain of pearls at the top of a message on the mobile app or click the "More" arrow button on desktop.
Gmail will load its filter template and the address of the subject email's sender will populate the "From" field. If the account is known to spam in packs, go ahead and add the addresses of their running mates into the field.
You can also customize the new filter further by setting parameters for elements such as subject and keywords.
