Gmail updated with quick access to contacts in search and new Google+ integration

Small things do matter. That’s exactly why Google is deploying another update to Gmail. Today, Google is introducing a few changes in Gmail which include quick access to contact details when viewing past conversations, as well as an improved integration with Google+ circles. Let’s get down into the details. Today’s update will give Gmail users rich contact information when searching for an email address on their contact list.

If previous email address searches have brought up relevant email messages, the search results will now show you the contact details in addition to the contact’s profile photo and previous emails sent from and to them. Google said that users can also start a chat or initiate a call from the searches. And since the Google+ integration has been improved, any changes made on a specific contact’s Google+ profile will be reflected in the searches as well.

Apart from the nifty changes, Google has also improved the Google+ circle integration and circle search. Adding improvements to the circles integration in December last year, users can now see profile photos of people at the top right of the page. Clicking on the images will take users directly to search results with the corresponding details of the contact. Search and filters are now supported in circles too.

You can find messages from a circle by typing circle:[circle name] in the search box. Typing has:circle, on the other hand, will allow you to find emails from any of your circled contacts. “This means you can now view all the unread emails from your ‘Friends’ circle or automatically star every message that comes from your ‘VIP’ circle,” Google said. Google is rolling these updates now.

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: Web
Tags: GMail, Google