I’ve long heard rumors that such a person exists somewhere out there. If you are that person, kindly skip over this section and move on to the next one, as this tip won’t apply to you.

For the rest of us, though, do yourself an enormous favor and turn that blasted added navigation bar off. Just go back into the Gmail Android app’s settings, tap the name of your account, and then:

  • Uncheck the box next to “Chat,” beneath the “General” header…
  • And scroll down to uncheck the box next to “Show the Meet tab for video calling,” too, under the “Meet” header.

All that’s left is to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Gmail Android feature #14: Automatic package tracking

How about an added inbox-oriented option you’ll actually want to enable? You’d never know it, but Gmail gained a genuinely helpful feature a handful of years back that lets the app automatically seek out info about shipments mentioned in your email and then keep you aware of their status as the associated packages inch ever closer to your desk and/or door.

Whenever Gmail detects an incoming delivery for you, you’ll see a card like this at the top of your inbox:

Keep tabs on your deliveries right atop your inbox — no ongoing effort required.

JR Raphael, Foundry

The only catch is that you might have to first flip a switch for the feature before it’ll work.

Thankfully, it’s quite easy to do — once you know where to look (and what you’re looking for!): Take another trip into the Gmail app settings, tap the name of the account in question, and scroll down until you see an option that says “Package tracking.”

Tap the checkbox next to it to enable it, if it isn’t already active. (And if you aren’t seeing it, take note: This feature for some reason only seems to be available for individual Google accounts, not those connected to Workspace organizations. Go figure.)

All that’s left is to watch and wait for your next package tracking updates to pop up at the top of your inbox — then watch and wait for word that your delivery is en route.

Gmail Android feature #15: A speedy way to set an out-of-office responder

For years, the Gmail mobile app had no way to manage the service’s out-of-office vacation auto-responder. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who sometimes signs out ahead of a planned break and then realizes half an hour later I forgot to set my away message.

Well, fret no more, for at some point in the not-too-distant past, the Gmail Android app gained the ability to control the out-of-office responder. Yes, indeedly: You can just open up the app’s settings, tap the name of the account you want to modify, and then look for the “Vacation responder” option midway down the list of choices.

From there, it’ll take you a mere matter of moments to enable, configure, and edit your out-of-office auto-response to suit any situation imaginable.

Out of office auto-responder editing is never more than a few fast taps away.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Gmail Android feature #16: More selective notifications

Email notifications can occasionally be helpful, but let’s be honest: They can also be pretty hellish. Give yourself a break from the noise by trying out the Gmail Android app’s high-priority notification option, which uses all sorts of signals from your inbox to figure out which incoming messages are actually important to you — and then to notify you only about those emails.

To take it out for a spin, venture once more into the Gmail app’s settings, select your Google account, tap the line labeled “Notifications,” and select “High priority only.” Give it a day and see what you think.

If you know exactly what types of emails you need to be notified about — say, those from a particular person or domain name, those with a specific word in their subjects or bodies, or those that are sent to a particular address of yours — you can skip the machine-made guesswork and just set up your own custom Gmail notifications. As long as you can figure out a consistent formula for what sorts of emails are notification-worthy to you, that approach works incredibly well.

Either way, you’ll have a lot less noise — and a lot more energy to deal with what really matters. Even if, y’know, “what really matters” is simply finding a few free minutes to eat a midmorning hoagie.

Hungry for more Android-flavored knowledge? Snag my free Android Notification Power-Pack next to discover even more powerful enhancements for your favorite phone.