Google has introduced a feature to Gmail, which sorts users incoming email into different inboxes for them.

The feature, Priority Inbox, attempts to automatically identify which incoming messages are important and places them in a separate inbox to other emails. Email priority is determined through frequently emailed addresses, email content such as recurring themes and user’s past email behaviour such as using stars, replying and deleting particular emails.

According to the Priority Inbox overview, Googles reasoning behind the function is to “help save you time if you’re overwhelmed with the amount of email you get.”

Some users may be concerned about privacy, allowing Google access to sort through personal emails, but an article in News.com.au, ‘New Gmail feature will sort your emails for you‘, explains that Google has been doing it already anyway:

“Although it might unnerve some people, the notion of Googles computers scanning the content of individual emails isnt new. The company has been doing it for years to determine what kinds of ads to show to the right of emails and to block spam.”

Businesses concerned about their eDMs being ignored may not have to worry just yet. If recipients have earmarked particular eDMs as priority emails, then they will still appear in the user’s inbox as per usual.

The Priority Inbox function is optional and is due to be rolled out shortly as an option across all inboxes.