-
My Account
Gmail turns 15 today: Here's a look back on its long journey
Trivia: Did you know Google's current CEO Sundar Pichai thought Gmail was an April Fools' Joke when it first launched in 2004.
1/15
Image Credit: Time Magazine | April 1st, 2004 | Gmail is born. For the first time since its introduction in 1998, Google change trajectory, evolving into more than just a search engine. Gmail offers 1GB storage space, significantly higher than its competitors.
2/15
2005 | Gmail celebrates one-year anniversary by doubling storage limit.
3/15
2006| Google brings new chat and calendar feature to Gmail | Google introduces new ‘Gmail for your domain’ for schools and enterprises | Google adds support for 40 languages with the addition of Arabic and Hebrew | Google also began offering a Java-based application of Gmail for mobile phones.
4/15
2007 | Google begins the process of rewriting parts of Gmail code, making services faster and adding new features | Google spreads the love on Valentine’s Day by opening sign-ups worldwide | Gmail becomes one of the first email providers to offer free IMAP for all devices.
5/15
2008 | Gmail gets first Android app | Gmail offers video chat feature directly from the inbox.
6/15
Image Credit: Computer World |2009 | Gmail is available offline | Gmail leaves beta.
7/15
2010 | Gmail introduces Two-step verification.
8/15
2011| Priority inbox makes prioritising makes easy | Gmail gets new look | Google launches Gmail app for iOS.
9/15
2012 | Gmail hits 425 million active users | Hangout supports ten-person video chat | Gmail increases storage limit to 10GB | Google introduces Drive for file sharing.
10/15
2013 | Google adds handwriting input support to Gmail | Google Wallet integrates with Gmail | Google announces overall merger of storage across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ Photos, offering up to 15GB storage between the three services | Gmail introduces new tabs to inbox: Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums | Google improves handling of images sent through email.
11/15
2014 | Google announces 100-percent encryption of emails moving internally through company systems | Gmail becomes the first app on Play Store to hit 1 billion installations.
12/15
2015 | Inbox by Gmail becomes publicly available | Gmail interface supports 72 languages.
13/15
2016 | Gmail reaches one billion active users | Gmail app for iOS platform receives complete design overhaul.
14/15
2017 | Google announces machine learning technology to identify emails with phishing and spam | Google puts an end to contextual Gmail content for advertising, solely relying on data collection.
15/15
2018 | Gmail reaches 1.4 billion users | Google announce the end of Inbox by Gmail | Gmail gets design changes and several feature improvements.
Discover the latest Business News, Budget 2025 News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
