London - Finally, an antidote to that sickening feeling after you accidentally click “reply all” on that bitchy email intended for your office buddy alone.
Google has added a new feature to let people recall emails sent in haste to the wrong recipients.
It may have come too late for those who have suffered the shame of sending unwise late-night messages to ex-partners, or been forced to send round a humiliating apology for remarks not intended for the recipients' eyes – but Gmail is now offering an “undo send” option for all users.
The feature has been offered as part of its experimental Labs setting for several years. Now all 900 million Gmail users can recall emails they have sent, up to 30 seconds after they have been dispatched.
Users can set up the feature in their Gmail settings page and decide how long their personal “undo send” option should apply for: five seconds for the most decisive emailers, then up to 10, 20 and a maximum of 30 seconds – perhaps for those who might have second thoughts about sending a message when they are drunk.
However, Google believes the most likely use of the “undo” option will be to cover up simple errors, such as a misspelt name.
When the feature is activated, a pop-up message will appear, which allows the user to stop a message. It will reopen in another window so users can delete it, change the recipient or amend it.
The Independent