Gmail hasn’t really changed dramatically over the past few years, sticking to the same traditional format for checking out emails. Google is looking to transform this experience by modernizing the tool with some AMP magic.
AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages and it’s been around for a while, allowing sites to load faster on phones. Google now wants to use it in Gmail. It’s not looking to make the service faster, though. Instead, it wants to utilize the tech behind it to make the platform more dynamic.
Emails are static at the moment, typically featuring text, photos, and links. Google wants to stop people from leaving now by making things richer so that a person could complete tasks inside the message itself. For instance, users would be able to RSVP an event, fill out a questionnaire, or schedule an appointment without having to exit Gmail.
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Google says AMP for Email will also make it possible for third-party sites to keep information up-to-date in emails, so a person might be able to see things like the tracking progress of their package, flight information, and recent news. The company’s signed up a couple of brand names for the initiative including Pinterest, Booking, and Doodle.
There have been some concerns about the effects of this change on privacy. With more rich content, Google can theoretically deliver more details to its ad network and keep an eye on the activity of its users. The firm hasn’t stated whether people can opt out, but it should become clear once Gmail gets support for AMP later this year.
For now, developers can access the AMP for Email spec here and sign up for developer preview access to it here.