Google I/O: Gmail Hits 900M Users, Android Reaches A BillionGoogle I/O: Gmail Hits 900M Users, Android Reaches A Billion
Key statistics from this year's Google I/O included one billion Android users and 900 million Gmail users, 75% of whom are on mobile.
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During this week's Google I/O developer's conference in San Francisco, the search giant revealed statistics that cement its status as a global tech powerhouse.
Sundar Pichai, Google's SVP of products, announced Thursday that there are 900 million users on Gmail. This marks a massive increase from 2012, when the company last refreshed the data on its email service and found it had 425 million users.
Three-quarters of Gmail users access their email via mobile devices, Pichai noted. Google is working alongside the global mobile trend with a new email service called Inbox, which exists on top of Gmail to help users with organization.
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Basic functions of Inbox include highlighting important information like documents and photos before the email is opened, and grouping related messages like receipts and bank statements so they can be easily viewed and deleted. Users can create tasks, snooze reminders, and view information that isn't in an email; for example, the status of a package on its way.
The service was only available to invitees for testing when it launched back in October 2014, writes USA Today. Now Inbox boasts a few new features and is open to all Gmail users.
With the new features added to Inbox, users can group travel notifications and easily view data like hotel reservation numbers and departure times. They can also add custom email signatures and, perhaps best of all, retract an email if they regret hitting "send."
It should be noted that, according to Google, the Gmail and Inbox services are different in nature. The company plans to move forward with Gmail development. This initiative is more of an indication that Google is experimenting with how it wants its email service to evolve in the future.
Pichai also highlighted the remarkable growth of Android. The mobile platform now has one billion users and runs on eight out of ten smartphones around the world.
The skyrocketing popularity of Android could prove a boost to Android Pay over the coming months. Google also announced that customers of 700,000 stores and services like Bloomingdale's, Lyft, Macy's, and Grubhub will be able to pay via Android Pay, reports CNET.
Android Wear has also evolved. Google originally launched two iterations of the wearable and has now broadened its collection to seven smartwatches. There are now 4,000 apps for Android Wear, another key statistic mentioned at Google I/O.
[Did you miss any of the information conference in Las Vegas last month? Don't worry: We have you covered. Check out what our speakers had to say and see tweets from the show. Let's keep the conversation going.]
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