Google adds new Undo send option to Gmail

Currently, the undo send feature is available only on the web and not on the Gmail mobile app

How many times have you wished you could withdraw that one email that was sent in a moment of sheer desperation? Or fix the typo that suddenly crept up in an email to your grammar nazi boss? It’s possible now with Gmail rolling out the “Undo send” feature to its users. Gmail’s new undo feature is available to all Gmail users on the web and is now an official part of the Gmail Inbox, after living in beta status since 2009 in Gmail Labs, which is where experimental new features are tested before they are either scrapped or promoted on to the Gmail dashboard.

Currently, the undo send feature is available only on the web and not on the Gmail mobile app, though reports suggest that it will be rolled out to the mobile app eventually.

How to enable the Undo Send option in your Gmail account?

• Log into your Gmail account and navigate to the upper right corner, click the Settings icon (this looks like a gear) and choose the options for Settings.

• Once you are on the Settings window, make sure to select the “General” tab. You will find the “Undo Send’ option here.

• Click the check box to “Enable Undo Send.”

• Select a cancellation period. This is the number of seconds you have to prevent the email from being sent. You can choose an unsend window of 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.

• Scroll to the bottom of the Settings screen and click the Save Changes button.

That’s all. The undo send feature is now enabled for you. So the next time you send an email, notice the message on the top that will say: “Your message has been sent. Undo. View Message.” Clicking the undo link will stop your message from being sent — it will go and stay in your Drafts folder where you can keep it or delete it.

The Undo Send feature is handy but remember that this feature can’t pull back an email that’s already gone. Also, Gmail will give you only those few precious seconds that you have specified before you can undo your email. If you wait until the 31st second and then select “Undo”, your message will go. Another caveat is that “Undo send” may not work if you experience network connectivity issues. So go ahead, try out this new feature but don’t get too adventurous. Continue to proof read your emails because if you’re anything like me, 30 seconds doesn’t seem like a long time at all.

Source | Mumbai Mirror | 24 June 2015