Gmail Adds 'Unsubscribe' Link for Pesky Mailing Lists

Ever since Google rolled out its new Gmail inbox last summer, all the potentially unwanted marketing messages you receive are relegated to the "promotions" tab, making them a little easier to ignore.

But now, the Web giant is taking new steps to help you manage the ever-mounting stack of junk mail in your inbox. Instead of having to hunt around for the tiny "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of a message, you'll now find the option more prominently displayed in the email header, directly to the right of the sender's email address.

Even better — when you click the new unsubscribe button, you'll no longer need to go through the rigmarole of visiting the marketer's website and confirming you want to opt out of future messages. You'll now see a pop-up asking you to confirm or cancel, and that's it. Google will send a request to the sender that your email address be removed from that list.

"Keep in mind that mailing lists may take up to three days to process your unsubscription request, so it may take a few days for you to stop receiving mail from the list," Google said in a support note.

The new unsubscribe link should now be available on most mailing list messages. If you don't see it, you'll need to go through the standard procedure of checking the actual email for unsubscribe options or contacting the list owner about removal (though you should only do this if the particular newsletter or mailing list is trustworthy and not a spammer). Google said it will not display the unsubscribe link for lists that are known to be owned by spammers.

Google first announced the one-click unsubscribe feature last week at the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group conference in San Francisco, according to IDG. The Web giant has reportedly been testing the feature with a small percentage of users for some time, but just started rolling it out for everyone over the last few weeks.

:story: PC Magazine