Google is working on a new feature that could protect a user’s privacy while using apps that ask for their email address, according to a report. Strings of code spotted in one of the company’s applications reveal that a feature called Shielded Email is currently in development, and it could allow users to share email address ‘aliases’ when signing up for apps or newsletters. Apple already offers a similar feature on its devices called Hide My Email, for iCloud+ subscribers.

Shielded Email Feature Could Offer Email Aliases With Forwarding Support

Android Authority and AssembleDebug spotted a new feature while performing a teardown of the Google Play Services version 24.45.33 APK, which is dubbed Shielded Email. Various strings of code discovered by the publication give us an idea about the purported feature and how it might work, if it is eventually rolled out by the company.

According to the report, the Shielded Email feature will let users keep their email address private by generating an email alias when an application asks a user to provide their email address. One of the strings also suggests why the feature could come in handy — by protecting them from “online tracking and data breaches”.

It also appears that these email aliases will be capable of forwarding emails to a user’s real inbox, which could provide a buffer from services that send out spam emails. It’s currently unclear whether users will be able to generate multiple Shielded Email addresses (or aliases).

Google could integrate the Shielded Email feature with its Autofill functionality on Android smartphones, according to the publication — a screenshot of the Autofill settings section shows a new icon that depicts an email with a blue tag and the Google logo. 

It’s worth noting that Google’s rival Apple already offers a similar feature called Hide My Email. This feature is available to iCloud+ subscribers and allows users to instantly generate email aliases instead of sharing their real email address with an application or website. Emails sent to these aliases are also forwarded to the user’s actual email inbox. 

It’s unclear whether (or when) Google will roll out the new Shielded Email feature to users. Other details, such as availability and pricing (or whether it will be limited to Google One customers), are also currently unknown. but we can expect to learn more about the feeature and how it works in the coming weeks or months.

Gemini in Gmail is getting support for more artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities. On Wednesday, Google announced the integration of the Google Calendar app with its native AI model Gemini. This way, eligible users can use Gemini within Gmail to ask Calendar-based queries to users. The feature is available to those Google Workspace users who have one of the Gemini add-ons. This feature is currently only available on the web. Notably, last month the Mountain View-based tech giant expanded the AI-powered ‘Help Me Write’ and ‘Polish’ features on the web.

Gemini in Gmail Gets Google Calendar Integration

In a blog post, the tech giant detailed the new feature. Gmail already has several Google apps integrated with the mail client. Google Calendar is one of them. Users can use the Calendar integration to add tasks on a future date, set up meetings, and check the day plans of coworkers.

Now, the tech giant is rolling out the integration of Gemini to the Calendar app available on the side panel of Gmail. With this, users can tap on the ‘Ask Gemini’ icon present on the top right corner of Gmail’s web interface and ask several queries that require the Calendar functionality.

Gemini in Gmail gets integrated with Google Calendar
Photo Credit: Google

 

For instance, users can ask about their own upcoming calendar events or ask Gemini to create a one-time and repeating calendar event. Highlighting an example, the post said users can ask Gemini to “Create a [30 min] calendar event for my weekly [yoga class] every [Monday and Wednesday] at [9 AM]”, and the AI will add it immediately.

However, there are several limitations to what the AI can do currently. Gemini cannot add or remove guests from events, create events by extracting information from an email, pull up attachments from calendar events, or add or manage meeting rooms. Further, the AI tool also cannot perform complex tasks such as finding the best time to meet another person in the organisation.

Notably, Google Calendar integration for Gemini in Gmail is available to Workspace users with Gemini Business, Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, or the Google One AI Premium add-ons.

Google is rolling out features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to the web and mobile, including new shortcuts. Following the latest Workspace updates, the Mountain View-based tech giant brings a new ‘Help Me Write’ shortcut which leverages AI to provide writing suggestions when writing or refining text in open text fields on the web. Additionally, another shortcut for the ‘Polish’ feature has been added to the mobile and web platforms.

New AI Shortcuts in Gmail

In a blog post, Google highlighted the expansion of the ‘Help Me Write’ and ‘Polish’ shortcuts to the web. The Help Me Write shortcut will now appear in the body of the email when its draft is empty on the web. Meanwhile, its placement on Gmail for mobile will remain the same.

Meanwhile, the Polish shortcut will now appear for drafts with more than 12 words, as per Google. Users will need to swipe right on the shortcut to get a polished email output. Alternatively, they can use the Control+H keyboard shortcut for the same. They can further refine the draft with three preset options: Formalise, Elaborate or Shorten.

With Help Me Write, users can provide prompts to fine-tune the text. It can be a phrase, question, instruction, or sentence, as per Google. To rewrite the existing text, users can highlight the text they want to rewrite and then right-click on it.

Google says this feature is already turned on by default and there is no admin control for it. Furthermore, it cannot be disabled by users. It is available for Google Workspace customers with Gemini Business and Enterprise add-on, Gemini Education and Education Premium add-on and Google One AI Premium subscribers. It is being rolled out gradually for both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. The company says it might take up to 15 days for it to be visible to all Gmail users.