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Old 10 Dec 2020, 04:01 AM   #1
Tsunami
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown
Posts: 2,329
New settings in Gmail app on Android phone

Upon opening my emails on my smartphone (the Gmail app on an Android phone) I received a prompt asking if I wanted to activate smart functions or not. This would be a sort of optimazation of email, chat, MeetMe (??) -- I'm not even sure of the latter's name by heart because I never used it, I only read, write and reply to emails on my smartphone.
The description said that for example Gmail would help you remind of unpaid invoices, restaurant bookings, etc. (there was a whole list of "smart" functions)

In order not to disable any functions I'm currently using, I chose to accept the activation of these new settings. It said clearly I can always disable it again via Settings.

I wonder if I did the right thing. I use the Gmail app on my phone only for reading and writing emails, I never used any chat function or so. It always confuses me (and makes me nostalgic about times when email was just email, without other functions) when prompts like this occur about functions I never even used before.
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Old 10 Dec 2020, 05:10 PM   #2
EricG
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Canada
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Smart Compose and Smart Reply are old features. About a month ago they added another option to disable data sharing between google apps because of stupid EU over-regulation.

It's documented here. I don't see that option on my phone for some reason.
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Old 10 Dec 2020, 07:24 PM   #3
FredOnline
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Location: Manchester UK
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That option appeared in my Gmail account today, I immediately disabled it.
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Old 11 Dec 2020, 06:07 AM   #4
TenFour
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Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: USA
Posts: 1,683
It's unfortunate that AI and ML are being used mostly to search for ways to make more money from people, and I find that most so-called "smart" functions are so dumb they make life harder, not easier. For example, the bill reminders are often incomplete or duplicate ones from your credit card company. For some reason you get only some calendar reminders and not others. Spelling suggestions are often for a different word. Frankly, I'm with Tsunami and I just want my email to be email, without trying to scoop up more data and/or sell me something, or get me to turn something into a social post. My father is periodically terrified by these things--when for example the photography app decides to pop up some image of his brother who died last year.
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Old 11 Dec 2020, 06:22 PM   #5
chrisretusn
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philippines
Posts: 840
Well I went to in my bedroom, got my phone, brought it here to my computer room and openned the App. I found it in account settings. These "smart features" were enabled. I do not recall being notified of these features. I am absolutely certain if I had with would have disabled them right away. I like I am doing right now. I have no use for these features are listed in that link and shown to me as a popup on my when I turned them off. I wish they would stop making these sort of "options" on by default. They should be opt-in not opt-out.

Agree, wish email was just that, email.

I use that App only for checking messages, specifically any that end up in Spam that are legit, something that does not happen often thank goodness.

I do all my email via Claws Mail.
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Old 13 Dec 2020, 03:50 PM   #6
EricG
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Join Date: Aug 2009
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I just got the two new options also.

I don't see why people have a problem with Smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet. Most people use some of them. I started with one inbox category for forums, now I have two more. I do forget my bills! I used to spend hours creating rules.

I don't any benefit to Features in other Google products that depend on your Gmail, Chat, and Meet data, mostly because I don't travel except by car.
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