New scheduling features for Gmail have been announced by Google, integrating Google Calendar functions onto the platform, in an attempt to improve the process of scheduling events and sharing availability.
The features can be accessed through a new calendar icon at the bottom of the email conversation view, and users will be provided with two options: ‘Create an event’ and ‘Offer times you’re free.’
‘Create an event’ generates a Google Calendar immediately, using the subject line of the email as the event title, and the recipients as the participants. An event summary will be added to the body of the email.
‘Offer times you’re free’ allows users to share their available times by selecting time slots on the sidebar calendar and share with email recipients. However, for emails with multiple recipients, the invite will only be sent to the first person confirming the suggested time.
The new features are accessible to all Google Workspace clients, along with personal Google account holders.
These tools were initially only available to premium Workspace subscribers, with the rollout starting with Rapid Release domains and is expected to be available in Scheduled Release domains by the end of this month.
Google have also recently introduced Google Calendar’s improved working location feature.
