Microsoft to improve Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps for Gmail users

Over the past few days, Microsoft has announced a slew of features for users, especially those who use Windows 10. After introducing a safer way to log in to user accounts, detailing new service update schedules and launching a new to-do app , the company has now announced a bunch of improvements for Windows 10’s Mail and Calendar apps, aimed at providing an improved experience to Gmail users.
The update(s) to the Mail and Calendar apps will be first rolled out to Windows Insider Program members over the next few weeks. Users will be prompted to update their Gmail settings when the new feature is available. Even if they miss the reminder, they’ll be reminded to update Gmail settings again.
“Mail & Calendar apps have long supported connecting to and managing your Gmail account. But up until now, some capabilities were only available to those with an Outlook.com or Office 365 email address. With these updates, our latest features will be available for your Gmail account, including Focused Inbox and richer experiences for travel reservations and package deliveries,” said Vivek Kumar, product marketing manager, Windows 10 Mail and Calendar, in an official blog post.
Focused Inbox, as the name suggests, prioritizes important emails over others. It separates the inbox into two tabs – Focused and Other. The former includes emails that come from contacts the user interacts with the most.

The new Mail app will also be able to verify travel reservations and package delivery details using summary cards. Users can check in for flights, change hotel and rental car reservations, even track packages.
To get the new features, users will have to give permission to sync their email, calendar and contacts to the Microsoft Cloud. This won’t affect the browsing experience on Gmail or other Google apps in any way.