Google was disappointed when it stopped Google Inbox, its application connected to gmail
which made it possible to efficiently organize and automate the processing of messages. A few other apps and services have since implemented similar functionality, but Inbox’s true successor has just arrived.
His name: Shortwave. Designed by Google alumni, the new application takes the best of Inbox by adding a few features.
Shortwave, the successor to Inbox
He had to reinvent the mail, he was quickly abandoned. Launched in 2014 by Google, Inbox intended to stand out from its competitors by treating mail as tasks and implementing lots of small innovations here and there. An initiative that had found its audience, but which was finally abandoned in 2019. The Mountain View firm had nevertheless promised that Gmail would proudly take over by integrating the best of Inbox, but some users remained unsatisfied, judging too classic application.
Enter Shortwave, the spiritual successor to Inbox designed by Google alumni. Available since February 15, 2022, this new application has all the advantages of the one abandoned a few years earlier. We find the pinned mails at the top of the inbox, while the rest of the mails are sorted by week and month. Here it is therefore a question of managing messages as tasks by postponing them, marking them as “completed”, or dragging emails from one period to another.
For more flexibility, Shortwave also allows them to be grouped together, automatically or not, which allows for example to group emails related to the same project and assign them a specific label. The application also has instant messaging allowing teams to chat in real time.
A free version without ads
However, Shortwave is not a separate email client and is only used here as an alternative to Gmail, the only service with which it is compatible. The application is therefore available as a web app which requires access to Gmail data. However, the startup specifies that no personal data is sold. An iOS app is also available, but still incomplete, while an Android version is still under development.
Inbox’s successor is available as a free, ad-free version with a 90-day search and history limit. The paid version, billed at $9 per month, lifts all restrictions and unlocks additional collaborative features such as an unlimited number of members or discussion channels, and the ability to add up to 10 guests to projects.
Source: Ars Technica
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