Last week I finished the second part of an introduction to the new Gmail interface. This week I will wrap it up with the last one regarding, “Smart Compose.”
Smart Compose was recently introduced to Gmail and it is an excellent addition. Now, let us understand one thing very clearly. I have read many articles that say things like, “With Smart Compose you never write an email again.” Or, “Smart Compose will make you more productive and efficient at work.” The last one is truer than the first; however, it is not miraculous as some think. That being said it is still an exceptional addon which I now use all the time. Note, it only works in your browser not with your Gmail account in any other email program.
First, to set it up you must be using the new Google GUI. See the last weeks’ articles for details. Keep in mind that if Google sticks to what they have said everyone will have it in September anyway.
Next, to get Smart Compose working, click the Gear icon on the upper right and choose, “Settings.” Then, make sure the “General” tab is selected then scroll down and check the “enable” Experimental Access box. The screen will reload and Smart Compose should be available which indicates it is operational. You can verify it by going to the same location and see that “Writing suggestions on” is checked.
So, now that we are set up what does it do? Basically, it starts when you fill in the “To” and “Subject” of your email. When you go to the body to start typing it will start it for you with a “Hi [Person’s Name],”. It will then prefill common phrases, in light gray text, throughout the email as you type. For instance, I typed, “Would you like to meet me for lunch” and it completed, “tomorrow?”. Then I typed, “Where ” and it completed, “would you like to meet?”.
Smart Compose essentially guesses at the next word or phrase as you type. If you are following along and want to use the prefilled text press your “Tab” key on your keyboard then continue typing. If you do not want to use the prefill keep typing and it will remove it.
For me, I had to change the way I type emails in Gmail. I usually do not look at the screen as I type. Believe it or not when I am writing a thought I look around the room, close my eyes, watch a video, etc. Yes, ADD is my middle name. With the dawn of Smart Compose, I now have to watch as I type. That way I can take advantage of its input. As I said the promises you may read about it are sometimes hype but for me, it is a bit quicker way to type an email.
I noticed at first it only filled in single words but over time it started getting the phrases done. I do not know if this was because I was a very early adopter and they were tweaking it as I used it. Or could it be learning from me as I type? You conspiracy theorists can run with that one. Sometimes it is extremely accurate other times not so much but usually close. Give it a try and see what you think.
