Here lies Google Inbox, a radical rethink of how email should work
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RIP Inbox, you were one of the best email interfaces I have used and you will be sorely missed.
I am blasting through anything I have not archived today in inbox before it goes and I lose my bundles.
EDIT: Spark isnt too bad as a possible fallback on iOS and now on Android as well.
I am blasting through anything I have not archived today in inbox before it goes and I lose my bundles.
EDIT: Spark isnt too bad as a possible fallback on iOS and now on Android as well.
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Inbox > Gmail.
So of course it's Inbox they're killing.
This along with the earlier article https://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2019/04 ... its-brand/ has made me realize that maybe I'm just Done with google products. If they can't trust their own products to support them in any meaningful long term fashion, why should I?
It's time to move on to more reputable companies that have a reputation for product support (yes, even if that means Microsoft or Apple), or at the very least open source alternatives that can't be taken away at the whim of a confused middle management accountant who cares more about short-term user numbers and profit than about establishing lasting value and building consumer trust.
Speaking for myself, they've finally eradicated enough of the value they used to provide that trust, trust just on as simple a level as that they even care about their own products, is dead.
So of course it's Inbox they're killing.
This along with the earlier article https://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2019/04 ... its-brand/ has made me realize that maybe I'm just Done with google products. If they can't trust their own products to support them in any meaningful long term fashion, why should I?
It's time to move on to more reputable companies that have a reputation for product support (yes, even if that means Microsoft or Apple), or at the very least open source alternatives that can't be taken away at the whim of a confused middle management accountant who cares more about short-term user numbers and profit than about establishing lasting value and building consumer trust.
Speaking for myself, they've finally eradicated enough of the value they used to provide that trust, trust just on as simple a level as that they even care about their own products, is dead.
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Considering how Google pressured you to switch, I certainly assumed it was the new and improved platform. Did users really have an option to opt out? I know you could go back, but that seemed more like hiding from the future and therefore relatively pointless.
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I think a large part of the problem is that many people read their email primarily on their phone and Google Inbox for Android didn't support non-gmail accounts. That made it a complete non-starter for anyone with any non-gmail accounts (like me). I was excited to try Google Inbox, just to find out 10 seconds after installing the app that it was totally useless for me.
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The good thing about the death of Inbox? It’s pushed me to furiously start unsubscribing from a dizzying array of emails. I haven’t quite got them all yet, but hopefully I got unsubscribed from enough to be able to manage it without Inbox.
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Chemical Tribe
Ars Legatus Legionis
It would have cost nothing for this to keep going. Nothing as in consequential.
Doesn't matter, I've migrated off gmail to fastmail. I'm on android for lack of any better alternative to apples my way or the highway approach.
Doesn't matter, I've migrated off gmail to fastmail. I'm on android for lack of any better alternative to apples my way or the highway approach.
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inbox was a lot better than gmail.
It's a bummer to be back using the gmail interface.
It's a bummer to be back using the gmail interface.
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The worst thing about this is now I have to type "mai" to get to "mail.google.com" because "m" and "ma" go to "maps.google.com" whereas I used to be able to just type "i" for inbox.
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My favorite aspect of Inbox was that you didn't have to unsubscribe. It just put them in their place and treated them as disposable. Something you could flip through occasionally but didn't drown you.
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Guys, we're killing Gmail next, new Google guidance is to just install Eudora and use POP3.
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Well, I don't know if that is why they cancelled it, but some of the Inbox intelligence features like Trips were actually ludicrously expensive. I think they just cancelled it because nobody switched, though.
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It'd have to be kept in sync with gmail code changes, which is certainly a cost. It forces the gmail team to work on both. If they weren't going to commit to keeping both under active development, then closing one is the correct decision so the dead platform doesn't weigh down the active one.
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Inbox is still working for me. Hopefully Google's team of engineer ninjas never sees this comment...
I'll give Gmail a try but it's likely I'll go third party from now on. Very short sighted on Google's part.
I'll give Gmail a try but it's likely I'll go third party from now on. Very short sighted on Google's part.
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I have a gmail account and have never used the web interface. Client with IMAP, all the way. I highly recommend it. It insulates you from a lot of arbitrary, platform-side annoyances.
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RIP Inbox
I have been trying to go back to old school Gmail after being on Inbox for 5 years, and I'm finding it very hard, borderline impossible without the bundles, day separations, Reminders, Trips, etc. I really thought they were going to actually bring over the rest of the missing features before killing it. Going back to Gmail, even with their updated UI and features, is a massive downgrade from Inbox. Everything takes 2-3 times longer in Gmail. All the tabs and clicks and no archive all in a bundle. Not to mention there are ads in it. Huge step backward. It feels like going back in time, in a very bad way.
I don't know what my solution is going to be going forward, but for the first time in 15 years I'm actually looking at other service besides Gmail. It's a shame. It's crazy they would push us away like this, yet here we are.
Inbox is still working for me as of 04/02/19, not sure what's next but it won't be regular Gmail unless they hurry up and port over the missing Inbox features.
Great write up by the way, nice to see someone that really "gets" what made Inbox so good.
I have been trying to go back to old school Gmail after being on Inbox for 5 years, and I'm finding it very hard, borderline impossible without the bundles, day separations, Reminders, Trips, etc. I really thought they were going to actually bring over the rest of the missing features before killing it. Going back to Gmail, even with their updated UI and features, is a massive downgrade from Inbox. Everything takes 2-3 times longer in Gmail. All the tabs and clicks and no archive all in a bundle. Not to mention there are ads in it. Huge step backward. It feels like going back in time, in a very bad way.
I don't know what my solution is going to be going forward, but for the first time in 15 years I'm actually looking at other service besides Gmail. It's a shame. It's crazy they would push us away like this, yet here we are.
Inbox is still working for me as of 04/02/19, not sure what's next but it won't be regular Gmail unless they hurry up and port over the missing Inbox features.
Great write up by the way, nice to see someone that really "gets" what made Inbox so good.
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This isn't completely accurate. You go into your Gmail web settings and add another account there. Then Google would grab messages from other services like Yahoo (with its GMailify feature) and it would populate in the Inbox and Gmail apps. Setting it up via a web browser is a bit inconvenient, but it is a one time setup.
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That's the impression a lot of folk have, perhaps not quite as dire though! I never really accepted using Inbox for the long run, staying with Gmail on my main accounts, preferring to wait on Google to show a little conviction. They didn't.
Google has trained me well to ignore their new stuff.
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Oh god no, that’s why I left the big G years ago. IMAP support was terrible back in the day and it did all kinds of non-conforming stuff that threw up errors left and right. Hopefully my experience is antiquated.
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Ah, this makes me sad.
If inbox was a reasonably paid service for just my gapps account I would totally have paid a price for it.
I did the switch to gmail, but have been searching for that same exciting feel and yet have found it across all devices.
If inbox was a reasonably paid service for just my gapps account I would totally have paid a price for it.
I did the switch to gmail, but have been searching for that same exciting feel and yet have found it across all devices.
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Agreed. I have specifically maintained a few non-google mailboxes to avoid lock-in if the $VENDOR goes under...
This last week after the announcement of AMP coming to gmail, I immediately synced my gmail to Thunderbird - so it can be quarantined separated from the g-ecosystem.
It's good to diversify, *if* you can...:-/
S
edit: maintain^ed
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mind boggling why google would shut down inbox when it is by far and wide a superior product.
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I guess I'm old school but I still prefer Exchange/Outlook on premises for work and I use outlook.com for personal mail, which is just Microsoft hosted Exchange in the backend now anyway. I run Exchange 2019/Office 2019 at work, and yes we self host with an internal exchange cluster. Not everyone has moved to the cloud! We'll probably keep running it on premises as long as Microsoft still offers it as an option. Our company likes to keep data in house when possible.
I've given gmail a chance several times but I just can't get myself to like it. I still prefer the feel of a traditional fat email client on my computer and I will use the web interface for quick access anywhere I don't have outlook... And yes, I know, you can run gmail and any number of other webmail providers in outlook through IMAP but you don't get outlook's full feature set unless its linked to an exchange account.
I've given gmail a chance several times but I just can't get myself to like it. I still prefer the feel of a traditional fat email client on my computer and I will use the web interface for quick access anywhere I don't have outlook... And yes, I know, you can run gmail and any number of other webmail providers in outlook through IMAP but you don't get outlook's full feature set unless its linked to an exchange account.
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Yeah, I saw the articles, and I expected this. I still can't believe they're killing off Inbox. I mean, I understand why - the Google culture is utterly fucked around product launches and support.
I also tried GMail for a short while after they introduced Inbox. Never looked back.
I'm seriously starting to rethink my decision to standardize on the Google ecosystem for my personal life. It's a complete shitshow for continuity. After umpteen product buys, launches, and removals, I don't know anymore where my pictures are. Takes me 10 minutes trawling through the various apps and sites to find them.
So.
Anyone recommend Apple ecosystem? Or should I just bite the bullet and roll my own ecosystem?
I also tried GMail for a short while after they introduced Inbox. Never looked back.
I'm seriously starting to rethink my decision to standardize on the Google ecosystem for my personal life. It's a complete shitshow for continuity. After umpteen product buys, launches, and removals, I don't know anymore where my pictures are. Takes me 10 minutes trawling through the various apps and sites to find them.
So.
Anyone recommend Apple ecosystem? Or should I just bite the bullet and roll my own ecosystem?
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Chemical Tribe
Ars Legatus Legionis
That's why i said consequential.
Google reminds me of the Republican party who tries to kill the most inconsequential of programs just to up the defense budget that no one needs. In Google's case it's just for profit, but is horribly short sided and they apparently won't learn their lesson.
Burn bridges away Google. Rip.
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When they announced they were killing Inbox, I went back to Gmail and holy cow did it feel antiquated. I'm always on my work laptop, so I ended up just pulling my Google accounts into Outlook.
I dislike Outlook a lot, but after Inbox, the Gmail interface feels so 2000s that using Outlook as a single source of info doesn't feel like much of a step backwards. I hardly ever actually go to the Gmail interface anymore unless I need to search the archives.
I dislike Outlook a lot, but after Inbox, the Gmail interface feels so 2000s that using Outlook as a single source of info doesn't feel like much of a step backwards. I hardly ever actually go to the Gmail interface anymore unless I need to search the archives.
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I completely agree with this article. When Inbox first came out, I was skeptical that it would be better than gmail. But after getting used to cards and bundles, I never looked back...
Unfortunately, with this closure I guess we pretty much have to look back, as I'm not aware of any other clients that have even a fraction of Inbox's feature set -- simple to operate, no manual training of filters (looking at you, Outlook...), with useful summaries/cards...
Unfortunately, with this closure I guess we pretty much have to look back, as I'm not aware of any other clients that have even a fraction of Inbox's feature set -- simple to operate, no manual training of filters (looking at you, Outlook...), with useful summaries/cards...
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Honestly, I have never encountered any errors, with any client on any platform: macOS, iOS, Android, Win8, Win10... The folder structure is a bit non-standard, but that's not an issue for me.
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Most users hate sudden, radical changes. Which is Google in a nutshell.
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t;ftfy?
When users have learned to use a computer by rote any change breaks their workflow.
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You can probably find some equivalent from Microsoft or Apple these days. They're different, they each have their own (minor and major) problems, but at the very least they don't randomly kill off popular programs and services seemingly at random to nearly a fraction of the frequency that google does.
...given how fiercely Apple protects its user data, I'm tempted to go with them myself.
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Yeah, but you don't kill it. You keep it going and get the new users on that platform instead, until they reach critical mass and start influencing others to move too. It may take you a lot longer than anticipated, but you keep it alive and try to grow it. One area where it could've gone is the G-Suite. People are already paying for that stuff, and Inbox is a great tool for business use. Yes, there's the problem of not properly supporting non-Gmail accounts but if you're into G-Suite already that's not an issue. Cost wouldn't be an issue either because even without super wide general reach, people are still paying for it. I would assume enough Inbox users would've paid a few dollars a year for a subscription on their phone that extended to the same account on the web.
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^^^
This was posted as I was writing my reply, but this is often what I see most: "After getting used to".
That's not going to help a product succeed.
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Inbox was the best email experience I've ever had. That being said, Spark just released for Android today and it's the most similar client I've found to replace to hole in my soul.
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Didn't everyone complain about wasted white space in inbox? And bundles being overly rigid? For me, condensed view unread first with bunch of labels is the way to go, and new features in Gmail clearly show inbox heritage.
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Ah, I assume that's why I got the email from Readdle earlier today about the Android release of Spark, and now I come on Ars and read about Inbox shutting down. Good timing on Readdle's part, I suppose.
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I'm trying out Spark on Android right now. Still getting used to it, but so far it looks good. At least it doesn't show ads, unlike the GMail app.
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