Google on Thursday announced two updates for the Gmail experience that users might appreciate, including a new Purchases tab that will start rolling out on the web and the Gmail mobile apps to users with personal Google accounts. The Promotions tab has also received an update to make it easier for users to see the most relevant deals and promotional information from the brands they receive emails from. This feature will start rolling out in the coming weeks.
Seen in the screenshots below, the new Purchases tab comes to Gmail ahead of the busy shopping season, according to a Google blog post. Coincidentally, the busy shopping season starts this week for a specific category of consumers who might use personal Google accounts: Apple customers. Google isn’t targeting Apple buyers with the new Gmail Purchases tab, but the new feature might let them track Apple deliveries in the coming days. The iPhone 17 series will be available to order online on Friday. Preorders will ship on September 19. Apple is also selling the new AirPods Pro 3 and the new smartwatches (Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3) online.
Google meant the Black Friday and Christmas shopping season when it said the new Gmail features are coming to help buyers stay on top of deliveries and new deals. That’s when the new Purchases and Promotions tab will come in handy.
How to use the Purchases and Promotions tab in Gmail
Gmail users with personal Google accounts won’t have to do anything particular to take advantage of the new Purchases and Promotions tabs. At most, you’ll have to reload Gmail in the browser and update your Gmail app on your Android device or your iPhone and iPad on Thursday. After that, you should see a Purchases tab appear under the Important label, as seen in the screenshots above.
The Purchases tab will automatically feature all emails that include purchase and delivery updates. The list should make it easier to keep track of packages, whether it’s one of the new iPhone 17 models shipping to your door next week or the Black Friday deals you’ll be shopping throughout November. Gmail will also show deliveries set for the next 24 hours at the top of your primary inbox, as seen in the screenshots above. A summary card that appears in your purchase emails will also display delivery information.
The Promotions tab update will let you sort promotional emails by a new filter called “most relevant,” which will be based on the senders and brands you engage with the most. Google also said the Promotions tab will incorporate “helpful nudges” to remind you of upcoming deals and offers with an expiration date. The “most relevant” view will not become the new default, as users will be able to sort the promo deals in their Gmail inbox in chronological order, as is currently the case.
The Promotions tab update will roll out to personal Google account holders in the coming weeks, starting with the mobile apps.
