Gmail Written In: Automate your email composition on iOS and Android

Can Gmail write an email for you? The answer is yes and with AI, the email service from Google has only gotten better. One of the immediate impacts of AI has been its ability to do some of the mundane or repetitive tasks that humans do every day. One such task is writing emails and Gmail Written In gained the ability to write email subject lines in 2019, and since then it has only gotten better.

When it comes to Gmail’s ability to write for its users, the two auto-completion tools that truly stand out are Smart Reply and Smart Compose. These tools were first introduced as a means to save time but they have been used extensively to automate Gmail responses.

In addition to these auto-completion tools, Gmail introduced an AI tool called “Help me write” that showcases Google’s generative AI feature. Let’s first look at how to enable AI-powered Smart Reply and Smart Compose features in Gmail.

How to enable Smart Reply and Smart Compose on Gmail

With Smart Reply and Smart Compose features enabled, you will be able to automate your email composition on both iOS and Android.

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However, to get started, you need to first opt in for these features from your Settings menu. Here’s how to enable the feature on iPhone and Android apps.

Step 1: Open the Gmail app on an iPhone or Android smartphone.

Step 2: Click on the account icon at the top right corner to select your Gmail account.

Step 3: Now, click on the hamburger icon on the upper left side of the app.

Step 4: This will open the side drawer. Scroll down to Settings.

Step 5: Tap the check box next to Smart Compose.

Step 6: Next, click on Smart Reply and then enable the check box next to “Smart reply in email” to enable the feature.

Once Smart Reply and/or Smart Compose features are turned on, your Gmail will be set up to suggest replies and also help auto-finish sentences when you begin writing a new email or replying to an existing email.

How does Smart Compose and Smart Reply work

Once you enable Smart Compose and Smart Reply features in Gmail, it may not start suggesting a response immediately. It will need to learn context and also your writing style.

The immediate result can be seen with Smart Compose which will start sharing suggestions whenever you’re responding to an email. For instance, if you start your email with a generic response like “Nice to meet you” or “Hope you’re well,” Gmail will start surfacing suggestions in the form of a light set of text appearing next to what you’re typing. On the mobile app, you can swipe right to add it to the email or press Tab to accept it on the desktop version of Gmail.

Another nifty use of Smart Compose is with email subjects where you can leave the subject line black and start composing your email. Once you go back to fill out the subject line, Google’s AI will have learnt enough context from your email to offer subject line suggestions.

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Smart Reply, on the other hand, is designed for faster responses to your email conversations. It offers three responses based on the email you’ve received and you can click on either of those responses but Gmail won’t send the email right away. You can add more text to the suggested answer before choosing to send it.

The Smart Reply works best when you receive an email reminding you of an appointment and a canned response would be enough. Both Smart Reply and Smart Compose are convenient tools that help reduce the time spent writing emails but they aren’t fit for writing every email. However, Google has only gotten better at automating email composition and its latest feature aims to push it further with generative AI.

Gmail Help me write: What is it and how to enable

While Smart Reply is all about suggesting quick response while Smart Compose fills your email with predictive context, Gmail’s Help me write aims to help users draft entire emails with nothing more than a prompt. It relies on Google’s generative AI tech and was first demonstrated at I/O 2023, the search giant’s annual developer conference.

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This feature isn’t widely available and is currently restricted to the Workspace Labs program. To access this feature, Gmail users must first sign up to test Google’s early-stage products, use US English, and reside in a supported country.

How to enable Help me write on iOS and Android

Step 1: Open the Gmail app on your device.

Step 2: Tap Compose or reply to an existing email thread.

Step 3: Gmail’s Help me write option should appear at the bottom of the window next to the formatting options. Click on it.

Step 4: Enter a prompt.

Step 5: Tap Create after entering the prompt.

Step 6: Help me write will generate a draft that you can edit.

Once the draft is created, you can either tap “Recreate” to redo the email or “Insert” to add the output to your email. Help me write can also be used to refine a draft by rephrasing it and shows how AI can make our lives easier and support us with tasks like writing emails.