Google begins to merge Google+, Gmail contacts
Don't have the e-mail address of somebody in your Google+ Circles that you want to contact? No problem, thanks to a new Gmail feature.
(Credit: Google)
Google took a leap towards integrating Gmail and Google+ on Thursday as the company announced that you can now send an e-mail to anybody on Google+, even if you don't have their e-mail address.
The messaging option, which Gmail product manager David Nachum said will be rolling out to all Gmail users over the next few days, shares user names from Google+ in your Gmail contacts list, but not Gmail addresses. Those are only shared once the recipient has responded to your e-mail. The screenshot above shows how Gmail differentiates between Gmail contacts and Google+ contacts.
E-mails received from somebody in your Circles will appear in your Primary Inbox category, but if the sender is not in your Circles, the e-mail will be filtered to your Inbox Social category. When you open the e-mail, you can choose whether or not to add the sender to your Circles.
Google has provided an opt-out measure, so that you can choose whether anyone on Google+ can e-mail you, or whether you want to restrict it to Extended Circles, Circles, or disable it entirely. Nachum said that people will receive an e-mail in their Gmail inbox when the feature has been activated, which will include a link to your Gmail settings to disable the it you want.
(Credit: Google)
A request for comment by Google was not immediately returned.
Given that Facebook has a similar option for messaging anybody who uses Facebook, it's not surprising that Google is moving its social network and e-mail services in a similar direction.
(Credit: Google)
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