Gmail gets confidential mode: this is how you send mails that delete themselves

In Gmail you can now send emails that delete themselves, cannot be printed and cannot be downloaded. This is how you use confidential mode on your iPhone and iPad.

Gmail confidential mode now available

Gmail’s most recent update adds a nice new feature with confidential mode. Just like in apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat, you can send a message that deletes itself after a certain time.

Gmail gets confidential mode: this is how you send mails that delete themselves

How to send an email in Gmail confidential mode

  1. Open Gmail and make sure the app is updated;
  2. Create a new email;
  3. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the screen;
  4. Choose ‘confidential mode’;
  5. Enter an expiration time, access code and/or other options;
  6. Tap the checkmark in the top right corner of the screen.

You can choose to leave an email for a minimum of one day and a maximum of five years, after which the entire content will be deleted from the recipient’s mailbox. You can also choose to set an access code, so that not everyone can view the content just like that. Handy if you know that someone shares their inbox with several people. In the new settings screen you can also check that a message cannot be downloaded or printed.

The function is useful, for example, for confidential information, or documents that you do not want to be left lying around in a mailbox. Gmail hopes this will allow you to maintain control over the information you send. Although someone can of course always capture such a message permanently by taking a screenshot or iPhone screen recording.

Read more about Gmail

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