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Just in time for the holidays, Google announced that it’s adding a new feature to Gmail: package tracking. Soon you’ll be able to see package delivery information as soon as you open your Gmail inbox.
About Gmail Package Tracking
With Gmail package tracking you can see information about a package delivery status as soon as you open your Gmail inbox. No more need for you to hunt for a confirmation email with package delivery information, click on a tracking link, and wait for a web page to open.
Instead, with Gmail package tracking, you’ll be able to see information about your package delivery status as soon as you open your inbox. With this new Gmail featue, you don’t even have to open an email message to see delivery status information.
If you do a lot of shopping online, you may find this new Gmail feature extremely handy.
How Gmail Package Tracking Works
Within a few weeks, Gmail package tracking will be available for those who opt into the feature. After you opt in to Gmail package tracking (more on that below), you’ll be able to see the delivery status of your packages much more easily.
With package tracking, Gmail will show you the current delivery status for your orders that have tracking numbers. You don’t even have to open the email message to see the delivery status.
You’ll be able to see a summary card at the top of individual emails, notifying you instantly about the current delivery status of your package.
Note that Gmail package tracking works only with purchases that have order numbers in their email messages.
Opting In and Out of Gmail Package Tracking
If you like the idea of Gmail package tracking, you must opt in to this feature. Gmail package tracking won’t automatically appear in your inbox. You have to turn on Gmail package tracking in Settings.
To opt in or out of Gmail package tracking, go to Gmail Settings. You can find Gmail Settings using the gear icon on Gmail on the web or the drop-down menu on the Gmail app.
From Settings, choose Allow to turn on Gmail package tracking or Not now to turn off Gmail package tracking.
The good news is that Gmail package tracking isn’t a required feature. You can opt in or opt out of Gmail package tracking.
What if you don’t want package tracking in Gmail after you’ve tried it out? You can easily turn off package tracking in Gmail settings.
If you change your mind again, you can easily go back into Gmail Settings and turn package tracking on or off.
Availability
In its announcement, Google said that Gmail package tracking will be available “in the coming weeks.” So, if you don’t see an option for package tracking in Gmail Settings, you don’t have access to this new feature yet.
At launch, Google has announced that “package tracking will be available across most major U.S. shipping carriers.” Google has not yet indicated whether Gmail package tracking will be expanded to other geographic regions.
Your Thoughts
Do you like the idea of Gmail package tracking? Would you like to see package delivery information as soon as you open your Gmail inbox? Would you turn Gmail package tracking on or off?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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*Package image (edited) from Shutterstock via PicMonkey Pro
