These summaries appear as a small box under the email subject line, usually containing up to three bullet points. They’re designed to highlight the key points from longer email threads, making it easier to catch up quickly.
The summaries won’t show up in every email. According to Google, the feature is intended for longer or more complex conversations. As the thread grows or changes, the summary updates automatically.
If a summary doesn’t appear when you want one, there’s a “Summarize this email” button at the top of the message that can generate it manually.
Right now, this feature is only available in English, and only for users on Android or iOS with either a Google Workspace account or a Google One AI Premium subscription. Google hasn’t said when it will roll out to desktop users or other languages.
Don’t Want It? Here’s How to Turn It Off
If you'd rather not have summaries show up in your inbox, you can turn the feature off—but you’ll need to disable all of Google’s “Smart Features” to do it.
On desktop:
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Click the gear icon at the top right.
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Go to Settings > General.
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Scroll to Smart features and uncheck “Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet.”
On Android:
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Open the Gmail app.
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Tap the three-line menu, then go to Settings > General.
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Toggle off Smart features.
On iPhone:
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Go to Settings > Data privacy > Smart features and turn it off.
Google introduced email summaries in mid-2024, but this marks the first time they’re being added automatically. The company says it’s meant to help people handle overflowing inboxes, but not everyone may be comfortable with AI skimming their emails.
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