Gmail AI Inbox: What's Actually Available and How to Get AI Email Features Today

Google announced Gmail AI Inbox with Gemini-powered prioritization and summaries — but it's only available to select testers. Here's what's actually rolling out, when you can expect it, and how to get AI email features right now.

Gmail AI Inbox: What Google Announced, When You Can Actually Use It, and What to Do in the Meantime

Google just dropped a big announcement: Gmail is getting a complete AI overhaul. The centerpiece is something called "AI Inbox" — a new view that promises to cut through the noise and show you only what matters.

Sounds great. One problem: you can't use it yet.

AI Inbox is currently limited to "trusted testers" with no public release date. The features that are rolling out today? US-only, English-only, and some require a paid Google AI subscription.

If you're outside the US, don't want to wait, or just want more control over how AI handles your email, here's what you need to know — and what your options are.

What Google Actually Announced

On January 8, 2026, Google announced Gmail is "entering the Gemini era." Here's what that means in practice:

AI Inbox (coming later)

This is the headline feature, and it's the one you can't have yet. AI Inbox is a completely new view that replaces your chronological email list with what Google calls a "personalized briefing." It surfaces to-dos, highlights emails from people you interact with frequently, and buries everything else.

Think of it as Gmail deciding what's important for you, based on who you email, what's in your contacts, and patterns it picks up from your messages.

Google says AI Inbox is coming "in the coming months." No specific date. No waitlist. Just... eventually.

AI Overviews (rolling out now, partially free)

This is Gmail's version of the AI Overviews you've seen in Google Search. Two parts to this:

1. Thread summaries — When you open a long email thread, Gmail shows a summary of the key points at the top. This is free for everyone.

2. Ask your inbox questions — Type something like "what was the name of the contractor who emailed me about the roof last summer?" and Gemini will dig through your emails and answer. This requires a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription.

Help Me Write (free)

Previously a paid feature, this is now available to everyone. Give it a prompt, and it'll draft an email for you. Or paste in a draft and ask it to polish it up.

Suggested Replies (free)

An upgrade to the old Smart Replies. These are supposed to match your writing style and tone better than the generic three-word options you're used to.

Proofread (paid)

Grammar, tone, and style checking. Goes beyond basic spell-check to flag awkward sentences and suggest rewrites. Requires Google AI Pro or Ultra.

What's Actually Available Right Now

Here's the breakdown:

Feature	Who can use it	Cost
Thread summaries	US users	Free
Help Me Write	US users	Free
Suggested Replies	US users	Free
AI search (ask questions)	US users	Google AI Pro/Ultra
Proofread	US users	Google AI Pro/Ultra
AI Inbox	Select testers only	TBD

If you're outside the United States, none of this is available yet. Google says they'll expand to more countries and languages "in the coming months."

The Fine Print

A few things worth knowing:

It's on by default. The free features will be enabled automatically. If you don't want them, you'll need to opt out.

Opting out isn't surgical. You can't just turn off AI features. Disabling them requires turning off Gmail's "Smart Features" entirely — which also kills inbox tabs, email sorting by category, and other non-AI features you might actually like.

Privacy caveats. Google says your emails won't be used to train their AI models and that processing happens in an isolated environment. Whether you find that reassuring is up to you.

It doesn't work with other email providers. This is Gmail-only. If you use Outlook, Yahoo, or anything else, you're out of luck.

Why Wait?

Google's AI Inbox isn't available. The features that are rolling out are US-only. And if we're being honest, Google's track record with Gemini in Gmail hasn't been great — the search functionality has been mediocre, and the suggested replies have always felt generic.

Maybe these new features will be better. But you don't have to wait to find out.

Inbox Zero: Available Now, and Does More

Inbox Zero is an open-source AI email assistant that works with your existing Gmail account. It's live today, available everywhere, and does things Gmail's AI Inbox won't.

Actually customizable categorization. Gmail's AI Inbox decides what's important for you. Inbox Zero lets you define exactly how your emails get categorized and labeled. You tell it what matters — by sender, by keyword, by whatever logic makes sense for your workflow — and it executes. Your rules, not Google's algorithm.

Better draft quality. Gmail's suggested replies have always been... fine. Generic. The kind of thing you'd rewrite anyway. Inbox Zero feeds way more context into draft generation — your writing style, the full thread history, relevant details from past conversations — so the drafts actually sound like you and address what the email is about.

A full assistant, not just a filter. Gmail's AI Inbox is basically a smarter priority inbox. Inbox Zero goes further: bulk unsubscribe from newsletters, automated rules that handle entire categories of email without you touching them, cold email blocking, and analytics on who's actually emailing you and what's taking up your time. It's less "AI feature" and more "AI assistant that manages your inbox like a human would."

Works today, everywhere. No waitlist. No "coming months." No US-only restrictions. Connect your Gmail account and you're set up in minutes.

The Bottom Line

Gmail's AI Inbox will probably be useful when it actually ships. But it's not here yet, there's no timeline, and even when it arrives, it's a feature — not a solution.

If email is actually a problem for you, you need more than a smarter priority inbox. You need something that automates the tedious stuff, drafts responses that don't need rewriting, and lets you set up rules that match how you work.

That's what Inbox Zero does. It works with your Gmail account, it's available today, and it's free to start. Give it a try — by the time Gmail's AI Inbox rolls out to everyone, you might not even want it.

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FAQ

When is Gmail AI Inbox available?

Google hasn't given a specific date. They've said it's coming "in the coming months" and is currently only available to select testers.

How do I get Gmail AI Inbox?

There's no public waitlist or signup. Google is rolling it out to "trusted testers" first, with broader availability planned later.

Is Gmail AI Inbox free?

Pricing hasn't been confirmed. The basic AI features (thread summaries, Help Me Write, Suggested Replies) are free. Advanced features like AI search and Proofread require a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription. AI Inbox pricing is TBD.

Can I use Gmail AI features outside the US?

Not yet. All the new features are US-only at launch. Google says international expansion is coming but hasn't provided a timeline.

What's the best Gmail AI Inbox alternative?

Inbox Zero offers AI-powered email management that's available today, worldwide. It works with your existing Gmail account, lets you customize how emails get categorized (unlike Gmail's AI Inbox), and includes features like bulk unsubscribe, automated rules, and higher-quality AI drafts.