I receive a lot of emails, some of which are solicited, but most are not. A lot of it is absolute trash that I could do without. There’s a reason my inbox has accumulated over 16,000 unread messages in the past nine years — and no, that's not a typo.
Inbox Zero is not an attainable goal for me right now, but Gmail’s new “Manage Subscriptions” feature sounds like it could help make it more achievable.
Regular Gmail users may be aware that a prominent “Unsubscribe” button was released last year, making it a bit easier to get your email address off various automated lists. However, according to a report from 9to5Google, the Manage Subscriptions page will take it a step further.
The new page still seems to be rolling out, and hasn’t appeared on either my work or personal Gmail accounts yet, on both Android and the Gmail website. However, 9to5Google has been able to check it out for themselves, helping us determine where the page is located and how it functions.
How it works
Accessing the Manage Subscriptions page can be done from Gmail’s sidebar, right below the trash folder. This new page will display all your email subscriptions in one place and show you how many emails have been sent recently.
A button on the right allows you to send an unsubscribe request. Apparently, this usually works with a single click, but sometimes you will get a pop-up asking you to confirm you want to unsubscribe.
It’s unclear whether you can unsubscribe en masse at this time. But the fact that you have all your newsletters and mailing lists on a single page should make the process of opting out a bit easier.
However, Google does mention that it “can take senders a few days to stop sending messages.” If you’re as familiar with the various unsubscribe forms as I am, you’ll know that this is a pretty standard message when you request to stop receiving certain emails.
I still don’t understand why we don’t have systems to make it an instantaneous change; it is 2025, after all, but that's the way things are.
What happens next?
9to5Google noted that this feature is only available on Android for now, but Google has confirmed that it is “gradually” rolling out, and both web and iOS clients will be included. Here’s hoping it happens sooner rather than later.
I may be a loyal Android user, but I typically prefer to handle emails and email admin on my laptop. It’s just easier to do it with an actual keyboard and mouse, rather than a touchscreen.
But I certainly welcome this change. I’ll be the first to admit that my email inbox is out of control, and it’s a real hassle to try to manage the sheer amount of stuff I get sent daily.
If Gmail can make it a bit easier to opt out of the content I don’t need, then I'm more than happy about that.
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