How to Disable Email Reminder Nudges in Gmail

Reminders are effective tools for staying on track. You can use a reminder app or physical sticky notes to keep track of your tasks. What about reminders that you didn’t request? This includes Gmail nudges, which serve as reminders to follow up on emails.

What Are Nudges in Gmail?

Gmail has always had nudges. They actually came with a set of features that were introduced in 2018. However, if you haven’t looked into what the feature does, here’s a quick rundown.

When you enable Nudges, older emails that you’ve received will be pushed to the top of your inbox. You might notice a small tag next to it reminding you to respond to the email.

Nudges can also help you get responses to emails you’ve sent but haven’t received. As a result, messages you’ve sent may appear at the top of your inbox. That note may also serve as a reminder to send a follow-up.

This is a handy feature that can come in handy if you forget to set a reminder yourself. However, if you make an effort to keep your inbox clean or prefer to follow up on emails on your own, you may want to disable Nudges. This can be done via the web or the mobile app.

Disable Nudges in Gmail on the Web

Nudges can be turned off in your Gmail settings on the web. So, go to Gmail and sign in if you need to. In the Quick Settings sidebar, click the gear icon near the top-right corner and then “See All Settings.”

Scroll down to the Nudges section of the General tab. The feature’s settings can then be disabled. To turn off both types of reminders, uncheck the boxes next to “Suggest Emails to Reply to” (emails received) and “Suggest Emails to Follow Up On” (emails sent).

Note: If you find one type of Nudge convenient, you can simply disable the other.

You don’t have to click “Save Changes” at the bottom like you do with many other Gmail settings. Instead, a brief message should appear informing you that your preferences have been saved.

Disable Nudges in the Gmail Mobile App

If you want to disable Nudges in the Gmail mobile app, you can do so in the same way on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. So, go ahead and open the Gmail app and follow these instructions.

Next to the Search box, tap the menu icon in the top left corner. At the bottom, select “Settings.” Then, if you have more than one account, choose the one whose settings you want to change.

Select “Replies and Follow-Ups” from the Nudges section. To disable both, turn off the toggles for Suggest Emails to Reply to and Suggest Emails to Follow Up On.

To disable Nudges for another account, go back to the top left and tap the arrow. Choose the next account and repeat the process.

Nudges in Gmail aren’t for everyone, even though they’re a cool concept. If you decide you want to give them another chance, simply repeat the process on the web or on your mobile device to reactivate the Nudges.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you might want to enable Focus mode, which adjusts the notifications you receive based on what you’re doing right now.