Google to discontinue ‘Inbox by Gmail’ from March 2019

‘Inbox by Gmail’ was an experimental platform for Google to try newer mailing features that could be incorporated in Gmail later.

Google launched ‘Inbox by Gmail’ back in 2014. (Shutterstock)

Google is set to shut down its alternate mailing app "Inbox" in March 2019, giving users time to shift to the traditional Gmail by then, the company has said in a blog post.

Launched in 2014, "Inbox" was introduced as an innovative new email app that lived alongside Gmail and served as an experimental platform for Google to try newer mailing features that could be incorporated in Gmail later.

However, it could not gather enough user base and updates to justify its existence.

"We want to take a more focussed approach to help us bring the best email experience to everyone. As a result, we're planning to focus solely on Gmail and say goodbye to 'Inbox' at the end of March 2019," Matthew Izatt, Product Manager at Gmail, wrote in a blog post late on Wednesday.

"Inbox" came with provisions for snoozing emails to later, trying latest artificial intelligence (AI)-powered experiences like Smart Reply, Nudges, high-priority notifications along with gesture and bundling features to manage the messages.

"We know change is hard, so we've created a transition guide to help you switch from Inbox to the new Gmail with ease," Izatt added.

Earlier in 2018, a revamped version of Gmail was introduced with newer features like "Smart Compose" that helps users draft emails faster and several other features were picked up from "Inbox."