Complete guide to Gmail smart features and settings

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Gmail has revolutionized the way we manage our emails., and it has done so by incorporating intelligent features that go far beyond simply sending and receiving messages. These features, integrated into the entire Google Workspace ecosystem, combine artificial intelligence with user experience to offer us organizational tools, quick replies, automatic scheduling, and much more.

Over the past few years, Google has been refining and expanding these smart features, This allows us not only to optimize our time, but also to personalize the experience based on our privacy preferences and work or personal needs. Furthermore, new regulatory changes and privacy policies in Europe have given users even greater control over the use of their data in these smart services.

What are Gmail smart features?

Gmail's smart features are a set of advanced tools that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate email management and improve productivity. These features are present not only in Gmail, but also extend to other Google apps like Chat and Meet, and also impact the operation of products like Calendar, Drive, Google Maps, the Google Assistant, and other services in the ecosystem.

The goal of these tools is to make your life easier and give you personalized suggestions or automations., such as automatic email categorization, creating calendar events from emails, quick replies, contextual reminders, shopping or travel summary cards, and more.

Among the most notable functions are:

• Automatic mail filtering and categorizationGmail automatically organizes emails into tabs like Primary, Social, and Promotions, so you can find what's most important at a glance.
• Smart Compose and Smart Replies: Features that suggest complete phrases or responses based on the content of the message, saving time and effort.
• Creating events and remindersWhen you receive emails with information about trips, reservations, invoices, or events, Gmail can automatically generate entries in your calendar or reminders in the Google Assistant.
• Summary cards and package tracking: You'll receive information cards in your inbox with details about purchases, shipments, or flights, without having to search through emails.
• Data extraction for other Google servicesGmail can share relevant information from your emails to show bookings in Maps, tickets in Wallet, grouped itineraries in Google Travel, among other uses.

How do smart feature settings work?

Google allows each user to independently manage the activation or deactivation of smart functions. both in Gmail, Chat, and Meet, as well as in other Workspace products. Privacy and customization settings have been refined, especially following the arrival of regulations such as the GDPR and the European LMD.

Each of these controls affects the experience differently:

• Smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet: They allow the use of data from these applications to personalize the experience in these same services.
• Smart features in Google Workspace: They use the activity and content generated in Workspace to personalize the experience across all Google tools for business and education (Drive, Calendar, etc.).
• Smart features in other Google products: They use Workspace data to improve other apps outside of Workspace, such as Maps, Wallet, or the Assistant.

Each setting can be turned on or off separately. For example, you can have smart features turned on in Gmail, but turn them off in Google Maps or other Google products.

Concrete examples of smart features in Gmail and the Google ecosystem

To better understand the scope of these functions, Here are some common uses:

• Automatic event creation: Flight reservations or hotel confirmations that arrive in your email automatically generate an event in Google Calendar.
• Smart writing and replying: As you write an email, Gmail suggests complete sentences based on your history and the content of the message you received, so you don't have to start from scratch each time you reply.
• Grouping emails and sorting them by tabs: Emails are automatically sorted by topic or source (news, promotions, social networks, etc.), helping you maintain a more organized inbox.
• Helpful reminders in the Assistant: If you receive an invoice or e-ticket, the Assistant can notify you before it expires.
• Information summary cards: Gmail displays cards with accurate package, trip, or reservation information above related emails so the most relevant information is immediately visible.
• Links to Maps, Travel, and Pay: Restaurant reservations or event tickets you receive in your email automatically appear on Google Maps or in your loyalty and payment apps.

Privacy: What data does Gmail use and how can you manage it?

One of the recurring concerns surrounding these smart features is privacy. All of these features require access to certain information contained in your emails and activities within Workspace, but Google has implemented very specific controls to keep you in control at all times.

Default, These functions are disabled If you live in countries like the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or Japan due to stricter regulations, you may opt out. If you want to activate them, you'll need to explicitly consent to Gmail, Chat, and Meet using your content to personalize your experience.

When activated, The information is used both to offer you the smart features and to improve their operation., always within the established privacy limits. However, you can revoke permission at any time from your Gmail settings.

What legal basis does Google use to process your data?

Google relies on user consent and legitimate interests to process information from Workspace apps. When you enable smart features, you consent to Google using your content and activity to:

• Personalize your experience in Gmail, Chat, and Meet with recommendations, responses, and automations.
• Improve Google Workspace through personalized suggestions and searches.
• Optimize other Google products like Maps, Wallet or the Assistant with relevant information extracted from your emails.

They may also process data in aggregate form to develop new features or improve existing ones, always ensuring the protection of your data and prioritizing privacy.

Duration and control over the use of your data

Content and activity in Workspace are used as long as you keep smart features turned onIf you choose to disable any setting, your data will no longer be used to personalize those features now or in the future.

Any insights previously extracted from that data may persist, but new information will no longer be processed while the setting is disabled. You're free to change these permissions from your Google Workspace and Gmail settings.

How to turn smart features on or off in Gmail

Google has made it much easier to control these features.You can decide from your account settings whether you want them active or not, both on a personal and business level, if you're a super admin of an organization.

The basic options are:

• Do not set a default value, allowing each user to choose their own settings.
• Set a default for all users, enabling smart features automatically (but leaving the option to disable them later).

Changes typically take about 24 hours to apply to all affected accounts.

To make these changes, simply go to Gmail's Settings, find the "Smart Features & Personalization" section, and select the desired option. If you've already chosen an option but want to change it, you can do so at any time from this same location.

Upcoming changes and updates to smart feature control

Google has announced updates to smart feature management for Gmail and Google Workspace, Specifically designed to offer even more granular controls and a more secure user experience. Starting in Q2025 XNUMX, a new settings page will be rolled out that will allow more granular control over how Gmail, Chat, and Meet data is used to provide intelligent features within Workspace and other Google apps. These changes do not affect current data handling practices, but do provide:

• Improved data controls: Now you can decide more granularly where and how your data is used.
• Additional user paths: You'll be able to control whether Workspace content and activity feeds into future smart features, including tools like Gemini for Workspace.

If you don't set the new default settings as an administrator, users will receive a prompt in Gmail to re-consent to these advanced settings. If you change your mind, you can easily change them from Gmail, Drive, Chat, and Meet settings. To better understand how to manage these settings, you can also refer to How to use Google Takeout.

If you have any additional questions, Google recommends consulting the Help Center or contacting support for personalized assistance.

The integration of smart features into Gmail and Google Workspace offers a personalized, automated, and much more productive experience, but it also puts you in control of your privacy and data management. With current configuration options and upcoming changes, now more than ever you can decide how your information is used and what level of customization and automation you need in your daily work. These tools not only improve email and calendar management, but also allow you to optimize all related services within the Google ecosystem to your liking.