Gmail now lets you email Google+ connections

Ever realized you still don't know the email addresses of many of your friends or contacts on Google+? Google's about to help you solve that problem.

 

Google is now rolling out a new feature for Gmail that suggests a Google+ contact's email address when a Gmail user with a Google+ profile composes an email.

 

"As an extension of some earlier improvements that keep Gmail contacts automatically up to date using Google+, Gmail will suggest your Google+ connections as recipients when you are composing a new email," product manager David Nachum said in a blog post.

 

But Nachum said a Gmail user's address is only shared with the people he or she wants.

 

He said a Gmail/Google+ user's email address will not be visible to a Google+ connection unless the user sends that person an email.

 

"Likewise, that person’s email address isn’t visible to you unless they send you an email," he added.

 

Nachum said a user can control whether people can reach him or her this way with a new setting in Gmail.

 

Also, he said emailing Google+ connections takes advantage of Gmail's new inbox's categories.

 

"When someone in your circles emails you, the email will appear in the Primary category. But if you don't have them in your circles, it will be filtered into the Social category (if enabled) and they'll only be able start another conversation with you if you respond or add them to your circles," he said.

 

For now, the new feature is rolling out over the next couple of days to everyone that uses Gmail and Google+.

 

A separate article on The Next Web noted Google started keeping Gmail contacts automatically updated via Google+ in December 2011.

 

But it also noted the new feature may open the doors for annoying emails.

 

"We would recommend adjusting the 'Email via Google+' setting in Gmail once it’s available to avoid receiving message from people you really don’t want to spam your inbox," it said.  — ELR, GMA News