Apparently, the search giant has started showing more ads in the free email service, as first reported by 9to5Google. For those unaware, Gmail is a free email service provided by Google that displays ads in the inbox as a way to generate revenue. While Gmail has been for years placing ads at the very top of the “Promotions” and “Social” inboxes, it has recently started increasing the advertising emails and promotional messages in the messaging app with some even appearing in the middle of some users’ email lists, both on the mobile and desktop versions of Gmail. At first glance, these ads appear like email messages in a user’s inbox, which makes it even more confusing to differentiate between actual emails and ads. Although these emails are highlighted with a green Ad label, it is barely noticeable. 9to5Google notes that besides the Promotions and Social inboxes, the ads are now shown also in the “Updates” inbox on mobile devices, which is designed to sort emails regarding orders, select promotions, receipts, bills and statements, and more. Presently, Gmail shows two ads at the top of the “Updates” tab. “Beyond that, it also appears that Gmail is starting to mix its ads on desktop throughout the list of emails under Gmail tabs – they’re at least not showing in the main inbox,” states the report. This new ad setup by Google in the Gmail inbox has irked several users of the free email service with some seeing large images being displayed at the top of their inbox. Some of them even took to Twitter to express their anger over the new placement of ads in the middle of their inbox list, which is likely going to make them click the ads more often now. @gmail @Google this should be illegal. Put the ads back at the top, wrote one Twitter user. Another Twitter user wrote, #Gmail #Ads increasing! Where does it stop? The term #Free is not free anymore. As a person who works very hard to keep my email in check, I am absolutely INCENSED that Gmail is just putting random ads in my inbox now???, wrote one more Twitter user. Google’s going ham with Gmail ads now, wrote a fourth user.
— David Levy (@itsdlevy) May 4, 2023
— olivia ? (@oliviahoskin) May 3, 2023 Google has yet to officially confirm regarding the promotional advertising emails added to its Gmail inbox lists. Currently, it’s unclear whether the search giant is testing this change or whether will it be rolling out the new advert placement to all Gmail users in the near future.
