14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft rolled out Focused Inbox for the Mail app in Windows 10 earlier this year, but the feature did not support Gmail, but only Outlook accounts configured to be used with the default OS mail client.
Today, the company announced that it’s getting ready to roll out Focused Inbox and calendar improvements to track travel reservations and package deliveries for Google accounts as well, with the release projected to begin in the coming weeks.
Windows insiders will be the first to receive this new feature, as Microsoft wants to try it out before shipping it to everyone, so depending on feedback, Focused Inbox for Gmail should be here just in time for summer.
Rollout to take place gradually in the coming weeks
Focused Inbox is an Outlook mail client feature that first debuted on iOS and Android and which prioritizes important email in a separate inbox, while keeping all the other messages in the standard inbox. The feature works with an advanced algorithm that determines which emails are important to you, and tries to block spam or newsletters from getting in.
Microsoft says that in order for Focused Inbox to work with Gmail accounts, synchronization with its own cloud services is needed.
“To power these new features, we’ll ask your permission to sync a copy of your email, calendar and contacts to the Microsoft Cloud. This will allow new features to light up, and changes to update back and forth with Gmail–such as creation, edit or deletion of emails, calendar events and contacts. But your experience in Gmail.com or apps from Google will not change in any way,” the company explains.
Once this feature becomes available, insiders (and then users) will be prompted to update Gmail account settings. Of course, Focused Inbox will be an optional feature, so those who want to stick with the current configuration can disable it from the options screen.