Google has launched a new app designed to help users sort their emails more efficiently.
The service, called Inbox, can sort electronic receipts and bank statements into bundles so they can be quickly fetched.
This method is similar to the way that Gmail currently separates promotional emails from other communications sent to its users.
Inbox can also determine key points of an email, such as travel itineraries, event times and photos, and highlight the information, according to Google.
In some instances, the app will automatically retrieve other helpful content, such as updated flight times, from the Web. Inbox can also create to-do lists.
Gmail has become a virtual filing cabinet for millions of people who can store up to 15 gigabytes in their inboxes for free.
‘For many of us, dealing with email has become a daily chore that distracts from what we really need to do – rather than helping us get those things done,’ Sundar Pichai, Google’s executive in charge of apps, wrote in a Wednesday blog post.
Invitations to test Inbox will begin to be sent out Wednesday. Recipients can then invite their friends and families to check out Inbox. The gradual rollout of Inbox is similar to how Google introduced Gmail, which originally was an invitation-only service.
Google makes money on Gmail by showing digital ads tied to the content in the message. The company scans emails to determine what topics are being discussed. Inbox’s technology also requires automated scanning of content.
The practice has prompted some privacy watchdogs and Google rivals to attack Gmail as an intrusive service that vacuums up too much personal information about its users. Gmail has steadily grown despite the criticism.