How to Block and Unsubscribe from Users with Gmail’s New Features

We all know how annoying spam and unwanted emails can be when you’re trying to navigate your inbox. While a quality spam filter can go a long way toward eliminating these irritating time-wasters, Gmail now has a feature that lets you dodge some of this pain. With the ability to block selected users and unsubscribe from email campaigns, you can reclaim plenty of time that you might have been wasting weeding out your inbox.

Before we dig into the details, though, it should be mentioned that, while Gmail’s new feature is indeed a good first step towards eliminating spam in your inbox, it’s by no means a guarantee that you’ll see a significantly less amount of time-wasting messages. A comprehensive spam-blocking solution is often necessary to keep malicious emails and other time-wasting junk out of your inbox. Just because you block or unsubscribe from a particular email address doesn’t mean that emails won’t start pouring in from another source. If you have concerns over your current levels of spam and junk mail, feel free to contact k_Street Consulting, LLC at (202) 640-2737.

Still, Gmail is taking strides to make it easier for the average consumer to take advantage of the benefits of email, without the negative side-effects, like spam. If you happen to be receiving an alarming number of messages from a specific person that you don’t want to hear from, or if something just looks plain sketchy, you can block anything further from the sender. Any blocked messages will immediately be sent straight to your spam folder. To block someone, all you have to do is open an email from the sender you want to block, click on the down-arrow next to the reply button, and select Block “user.”

Gmail’s unsubscribe feature works in a similar manner to the unsubscribe links that you might find in various advertisement emails, like ones you might get from Amazon or other big-box retailers. On the Android Gmail app (the most recent version - this feature isn’t on the desktop version of Gmail yet), open a message from the user you want to unsubscribe from. Click the three-dot More button next to Reply and select Unsubscribe.

While this doesn’t necessarily block spam completely, it’s a good step in the right direction. Your goal shouldn’t be to send all spam to the spam folder; in order to achieve maximum productivity and email security, you want to prevent spam altogether. For more tips on how to accomplish this feat, give k_Street Consulting, LLC a call at (202) 640-2737. Also, be sure to subscribe to our blog, where we often post about the latest security developments, security how-tos, and much more. When it comes to securing your email from spam, and protecting your business from hackers, you need all of the help you can get.