Google has been busy bringing Gmail desktop features to the Gmail app. With multiple new features, such as the recently introduced emoji reactions for emails, the company's renewed focus on Gmail for Android shows. The app is now packed with features that take the email experience to the next level, even on budget Android phones.

While Google is gearing up for the official rollout of Android 14, it brought Material You to Gmail, including redesigned widgets. While many apps use Material You, Google's implementation is consistently beautiful and streamlines all its apps with a modern feel. But beneath the new coat of paint, Gmail has been a productive powerhouse for some time. We gathered the best tips to manage, navigate, and send emails like a pro.

1 Customize mail swipe actions

By default, the right and left swipe gestures are set to archive emails in Gmail. You can easily bind them to other actions such as Delete, Mark as read/unread, Snooze, and more.

  1. Open Gmail on Android and tap the three-button menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
  2. Scroll down and tap Settings.
    The Gmail Folders pane showing the Settings icon at the bottom of the pane.
  3. Tap General settings.
  4. Tap Swipe actions.
  5. Tap Change on the Right swipe and Left swipe menus to choose what happens when swiped. The options for swiping are Archive, Delete, Mark as read/unread, Move to, Snooze, and None. Select None if you wish to turn off the swiping feature.
    The Swipe action in the Gmail Android app settings.
    The Swipe actions settings in the Gmail app.

2 Format emails

Gmail doesn't show formatting options right out of the gate. Those options are hidden inside the context menu in the Compose Email option. Options include bold, italic, and underline formatting, font colors, and highlighters.

  1. Open Gmail and tap Compose in the lower-right corner of your screen.
  2. Type your message.
  3. Tap and hold any part of the text.
  4. Tap Format. Gmail displays the formatting bar at the bottom of your screen.
    Select the text you want to format in the Gmail Compose window.
    The formatting options appear below the message window in Gmail.

3 Schedule an email

When working with colleagues in different time zones, you don't want to send important emails over the weekend or in the middle of the night. Schedule an email to make sure your email arrives at a convenient time.

  1. After you compose an email in Gmail, tap the three-button menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
  2. Tap Schedule send.
    Click the More menu to see the available options.
    Tap 'Schedule send' to send an email at a later time.
  3. Select one of the suggested times or tap Pick date & time in the lower-right corner of the window.
  4. Gmail asks for confirmation. Check the date and time, and tap the Scheduled send button.
    Choose when to send the email in Gmail.
    After selecting a date and time to send the message, tap 'Schedule send' to send the message later.

If you wish to cancel a scheduled email, open Gmail and tap the three-button menu in the upper-left corner of your screen. Tap Scheduled, open a scheduled email, and tap Cancel send.

4 Clear Gmail search history

Gmail remembers your search history and suggests recent results when you look up an email or contact in the app. But depending on your activity, your history may be crowded. Gmail offers an option to clear the app's search history.

  1. Open Settings in Gmail (check the steps above).
  2. Select General Settings.
  3. Tap the three-button menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
  4. Select Clear search history and confirm your decision.
    Open the More menu to see the available options.
    Select 'Clear search history' to delete your previous Gmail searches.

5 Add a custom status to Google Chat

Change your Google Chat status so that people don't bother you with messages in the app when you're not available.

  1. Open Gmail and tap the Chat button at the bottom of your screen.
  2. Tap the three-button menu in the upper-left corner of your screen
  3. Tap Add a status.
  4. Select a premade status, or create your own.
    Tap 'Add a status' to apply a status to a message.
    Select a status or write your own status.

6 Send emails to Google Tasks

Gmail offers an option to send important emails directly to the Google Tasks app. That way, you can check emails along with your daily tasks in Google's to-do solution.

  1. Open an email in the Gmail app and tap the three-button menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
  2. Select Add to Tasks.
  3. If you haven't installed Google Tasks on Android, Gmail prompts you to install the app from the Play Store.
    Open the More menu to see the available options.
    Select 'Add to Tasks' to create a task from the Gmail message content.

7 Send confidential emails

If you plan to send sensitive information through Gmail, turn on confidential mode to prevent unauthorized access. Options such as forward, copy, print, and download for the recipient are turned off when using confidential mode. The email body is also removed and replaced with a link to the content.

  1. Open the Gmail app and tap Compose in the lower-right corner of your screen.
  2. Tap the three-button menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
  3. Select Confidential mode.
    Click the More menu to see the available options.
    Select 'Confidential mode' to make the email message private.
  4. Set the expiration date.
  5. Select a passcode requirement. ​​​​Select Standard to email the passcode to non-Gmail users. Gmail users can open the email as usual. Select SMS passcode to send all recipients an SMS code to open the email. You are prompted to enter their phone number when you send the email.
    Turn on Confidential mode.
  6. Tap Save in the upper-right corner of the screen.

8 Set Vacation responder

It's important to take a small break from your busy life. It's even more important to inform your customers or colleagues about your absence from the office. You can set an out-of-office note in Gmail using the Vacation Responder menu.

  1. Open Gmail and tap the three-button menu in the upper-left corner of your screen.
  2. Scroll down and tap Settings.
  3. Tap your primary email account.
  4. Scroll down and tap Vacation responder.
    Select Vacation responder.
  5. Toggle the switch in the upper-right corner of your screen
  6. Enter the first and last day of your vacation, and type the subject and message of your vacation responder.
  7. Tap Done in the upper-right corner of your screen.
    Set the options for the vacation responder.

9 Turn on Action Confirmations

It's easy to accidentally delete an email or send one with an embarrassing typo. Gmail offers action confirmations that remind you to double-check everything before deleting, archiving, or sending an email.

  1. Open Gmail and go to Settings.
  2. Go to General settings and find Action Confirmations.
  3. Choose one of the Action Confirmations options. You can confirm before deleting, archiving, or sending.
    The available Gmail action confirmations for deleting, archiving, and sending messages.

Now, Gmail asks for confirmation before taking any action on an email.

10 Turn off Chat and Spaces

Google jammed email, chat, video calls (Meet), and group conversations (Spaces) in the Gmail mobile apps. It can get overwhelming when trying to manage everything in a single app. If this sounds like you, deactivate Chat and Spaces in Gmail and download a separate app.

  1. Go to Gmail Settings (refer to the steps above).
  2. Select your primary email address.
  3. Turn off Chat under the General menu.
    Turn off Google Chat.

You can follow the link below to download the Google Chat app on your Android phone.

11 Add an email signature

​​​​​​If you frequently compose and send emails from your Android phone, set a mobile signature from the Gmail Settings menu.

  1. Navigate to Gmail Settings (check the steps above).
  2. Select your preferred email address.
  3. Scroll to Mobile signature.
  4. Type your signature and tap OK.
    Select 'Mobile signature.'
    Enter a signature that will appear at the bottom of your messages in the Gmail mobile app.

Gmail for desktop supports hyperlinks, images, and rich text formatting while setting up a signature. Gmail mobile apps support plain text only.

Making Gmail on Android a breeze

Gmail is popular, and while we wait for the ability to send client-side encrypted messages from your phone, the list of features is good enough to elevate the Gmail user experience. Although the Play Store is filled with capable Gmail alternatives, it's easiest to stick with Google if you use a Gmail account. If you missed the news, the Gmail app is also available for Wear OS after months of teasing.