What you need to know
- Google's built-in unsubscribe button is now easier to find in the Gmail for Android app.
- The move comes after Google made the button front-and-center in the Gmail web client.
- The feature is rolling out now to Gmail for Android users, but isn't available on all devices just yet.
These days, simply buying something or creating an account on a website all but guarantees you'll be placed on a mailing list. Methods for unsubscribing exist, with different websites having varying degrees of difficulty for their unsubscribe forms. Google has tried to make that process easier within Gmail, as there are built-in unsubscribe buttons found inside the email client.
Google has had unsubscribe options in Gmail for a while, but the button was previously buried behind menus. The company updated the Gmail web client to include a new unsubscribe button right next to the sender's name in an email. That put the button front-and-center, so users can easily spot it when reading a potentially unwanted email.
Now, Google is bringing that same change to the Gmail app on Android phones, as first reported by Android Police. Their team was able to get the new unsubscribe button working on a Pixel 8 Pro running version 2023.11.26 of the Gmail app. However, they couldn't get it working on an Honor phone. We tried it on a Pixel Fold running the same 2023.11.26 version, but didn't see the unsubscribe button yet.
This suggests that the unsubscribe button is rolling out as a server-side update, as Android Police notes. That would explain why devices running the same version of the Gmail app would not all have the unsubscribe button. As such, you might have to wait a bit before seeing the new unsubscribe button on your Android phone.
If you've gotten the update, you'll see the Unsubscribe option right in the header of an email from a mailing list. Tapping that button will start the unsubscribe process, which can vary in length based on the sender's settings. It could take as few as two button presses to unsubscribe from the mailing list, in part thanks to Google's change in button placement.
For those that do not have the update left, the old unsubscribe method still works like normal. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the screen and then select the Unsubscribe option in the list. After that, the process is the exact same as the new method.
Google brought this new button placement to Gmail's web client last month, and it's now starting to come to Android. Hopefully this means that Gmail users can more effectively dodge spam and marketing emails without the hassle.
It's the latest small, but useful, feature to come to Gmail for Android. Earlier this month, Google finally added a Select All option to the Android app.
