Here’s why your Gmail icon may be blue right now
Technology can be great, but it can also be a never-ending source of mystery. And it’s constantly changing. It seems like yesterday that we were outraged when Facebook forcibly migrated its users to Timeline, but for the past two years there have been rumors that Timeline could be ending.
The latest change freaking the internet out is the mysteriously blue Gmail icon, which appeared to change color from red around January 26th. But if you’re one of the many who are puzzled by this change, fear not: There’s a pretty simple explanation.
According to Buzzfeed News, the sudden change only affects those who use G Suite, a version of Gmail used for work email addresses. Because of this, users who kept their personal and work emails open in two different tabs saw both a red and a blue envelope.
Okay, but what’s causing the blue icon?
The change in color is apparently connected to a Gmail feature called “Labs.” One Twitter Google expert explained that Labs are ways of customizing the layout and appearance of your inbox. And a Lab called “unread message icon” appears to be behind the color change. If you want to go back to Gmail’s original display, you can simply disable the Lab by clicking on “Settings” in your account and heading over to the “Labs” tab. From there, you can scroll down to “Unread message icon” and click “Disable.” Be sure to save your changes!
Hi there. Google is aware of the change and is currently looking into it. As a current workaround, please feel free to turn off the 'Unread Messages' lab and refresh your Gmail. Let me know if you're still seeing a blue icon! *ZS #gHelp
— Zev Zoldan (@ZevSupport) January 29, 2018
But before the cause of the blue Gmail icon came to light, Twitter descended into chaos.
Spent all morning wondering why my gmail icon has turned blue. Still no answers, and no work done.
— Johny Mathew (@johnymoolayil) January 29, 2018
my gmail icon is blue today and it is the most unnerving thing, staring at me from the corner of my browser
— anna bold (@annathebold) January 29, 2018
false false
yo gmail changing their icon from red to blue has got me all out of sorts today
— Ali DiBarba (@alisaysdance) January 29, 2018
It’s still not clear if the blue Gmail icon is a permanent feature of the unread message icon, but luckily, it’s nothing to worry about. Red or blue envelope aside, the unread message icon can be used to display how many new messages you have in your inbox, which admittedly does seem pretty cool. And aside from that, Gmail has lots of useful features worth checking out.
Even if the Gmail icon did permanently become blue, we’re pretty sure we’d get used to it after a while. Thankfully, for now it seems that we’ll get to keep that original red and avoid one more annoying technological update.