Google has issued a warning to Gmail users that they’ll need to accept the latest terms of use from the US company, or could risk losing access to a number of key features. The warning comes ahead of the January 25 deadline which, if missed, will block some useful extras, like Smart Compose, Assistant reminders and Automatic email filtering, from your inbox.
Google says it has updated its Gmail small-print to help users gain more control over their personal data and help support compliance requirements. As the firm explains, the update offers users the choice on whether they want to share some data with Google in exchange for the features to work within the app.
You should notice the warning when logging into Gmail with it flashing up the minute you try and access your messages. If you haven’t responded to the alert that’s appearing in Gmail then you need to act quickly.
Here’s what you need to know and what you are signing up for.
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Smart features and personalisation in Gmail, Chat and Meet are the first settings and control whether your Gmail, Chat and Meet data can be used to offer smart features within each of these services. Smart features in Gmail, Chat and Meet that depend on your data include:
• Automatic email filtering/categorisation (Primary/Social/Promotions)
• Smart Compose and Smart Reply in emails
• Summary cards above your email (package tracking, travel, etc.)
• Extracting event details to create calendar entries
Smart features and personalisation in other Google products are the second settings and control whether your Gmail, Chat and Meet data can be shared with other Google products to enable personalisation features. Features in other Google products that depend on Gmail, Chat and Meet data include:
• Assistant reminders of your bills due
• Maps displaying restaurant reservations
• Travel bundling your itineraries
• Google Pay showing loyalty cards
Google’s email confirms that “If you want to continue using the above features and more after 25 January 2021, you need to choose in Gmail settings to keep these features on.”
This latest Gmail update comes as Google recently started to warn users that their Gmail, Google Photos and Google Drive content could be deleted unless they follow new rules.
The new alert has been issued in an email, which explains that Google’s new storage policies will be coming into force from next year.
“We are writing to let you know that we recently announced new storage policies for Google Accounts using Gmail, Google Drive (including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard files) and/or Google Photos that bring us in line with industry practices,” Google explains in the email seen by Express.co.uk.
Those who don’t abide by the changes could see their private content deleted from Google’s servers although the US firm says it will notify people multiple times before it attempts to remove any content so that those affected should have ample opportunities to take action.
