Gmail Allows for Viewing of Emails Offline

Google has added an offline mode for Gmail. It lets users read, reply and even search through Gmail messages without being online.

The mode will be familiar to users of a certain age, though it's mainly aimed at people in places where Internet connections are unreliable such as in some remote areas or developing nations.

Though the offline mode might seem like wizardry, it's an extremely simple setup with some clear limitations. It uses some of the user's hard drive to store copies of messages that are normally only kept on Google's servers.

The mode only works for users running the Chrome browser and doesn't work in Incognito mode. To switch it on, users should visit the Gmail site (mail.google.com), go to the settings menu and then See All Settings and click on the tab marked Offline.

From here, users should click the checkbox marked "Enable offline mail" and then select how many days of messages they want to store on their machine. This should be limited only by the available disk space. (Source: indiatoday.com)

Data Deletion Option

Users will also need to decide whether to have the data on their machine automatically deleted if they ever sign out of their Google Account. Doing so would improve security, for example if a machine is accessed without permission, but would mean they'd have to resync with Google next time they were online to download data again. (Source: msn.com)

Despite some media reports, users can't send a message while in the offline mode. Instead they can write messages and have them ready to send next time they are online. They can also read and search through any messages they have synced (i.e. downloaded) to their machine.

Old-School Approach

This is, of course, how most people used email before the emergence of webmail services such as Hotmail and later Gmail. The original form of email involved connecting to the Internet to download messages on to a computer, a little like emptying a physical mailbox.

The webmail approach proved more useful once broadband offered permanent connections to the Internet and people began using multiple devices to connect rather than just one home PC.

Google adding this feature now isn't so much about dial-up versus broadband. Instead, it's aimed at winning over users in areas where connections aren't reliable, particularly those who use mobile data connections with varying signal strength.

What's Your Opinion?

Is this a useful addition? Do you remember the days of "dialing up" to collect emails? Would an offline mode change the way you handle emails?