Gmail is entering the Gemini Era
Overall reaction to “Gemini era” Gmail
- Many are unhappy and see this as confirmation to leave Gmail or reduce reliance on Google services.
- Some think the features are “no‑brainer” additions; others see them as unwanted bloat that shrinks message reading space and adds naggy AI prompts.
- A few question why this deserves front-page attention; others argue it’s a major change to the world’s most important email service.
Privacy, data use, and AI training
- Strong concern that AI features require scanning all email content; several say this was always predictable.
- Skepticism toward Google’s privacy assurances and whether Gmail data is or will be used to train models.
- Some distinguish between sharing email addresses via Google login vs sharing message contents.
- Others note that privacy-focused providers can also be pressured by law enforcement; “Switzerland” branding is seen as no guarantee.
Spam filtering and inbox control
- Experiences diverge: some find Gmail’s spam filter “impeccable”; others say it has degraded and lets through Calendar spam and junk while misclassifying legit mail.
- Desire for much better, user-controllable filtering: custom thresholds, rules, and reliable bulk deletion.
- There’s technical discussion of mass-deleting via labels/search, IMAP clients, and tools like
mbsync, but the web UI is described as fragile at scale.
Migration to alternatives
- Many report moving to or recommending Fastmail, Proton, Tuta, Zoho, Mailfence, Purelymail, and DuckDuckGo forwarding.
- Common reasons: no ads, no forced AI, responsive UI, better support, custom domains, wildcard addresses.
- Some note deliverability issues: non‑big‑tech domains occasionally flagged as spam or “fake accounts.”
Self‑hosting vs paid providers
- Several advocate self-hosting (including Docker Mailserver) for maximum control and privacy; IMAP clients like Thunderbird/Fairmail are popular.
- Others describe giving up self-hosting due to IP reputation, deliverability, and interaction with aggressive enterprise filters, moving to paid hosts as a compromise.
- Hybrid suggestion: self-host for inbound, relay outbound via a commercial provider.
Automation, “AI”, and desired features
- Some want intelligent helpers (e.g., meeting scheduling that accounts for travel time and breaks, drafting/revising emails), but opt‑in and under user control.
- Others say most of this could be solved with better calendar sharing or more powerful rules/IFTTT-style automation blocks, not blanket AI.
- Debate over what counts as “AI”: long-standing Bayesian spam filters vs modern LLM-based features; some see current branding as marketing re-labeling.
Lock‑in, domains, and address portability
- Strong advice to own a personal domain to avoid lock‑in to any provider.
- Suggestions for migrating contacts: auto‑replies with sunset dates, broadcast emails announcing the new address.
- Several call for an email-address portability mechanism analogous to phone number portability.