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Gmail on Android finally gets a crucial feature six years after iOS
- Gmail for Android is finally catching up to the iOS version with the addition of a useful feature.
- You can now create new labels directly on the Android app.
- The Android app still doesn’t allow changing the label’s color, but it’s a positive first step anyway.
Labels in Gmail are one of the effective ways to slay inbox overwhelm. While they’re not as effective as automatic filters or Google’s new AI-powered sorting features, labels can help you organize the emails you receive and keep the important ones easy to access.
Last month, we learned that Google was finally testing the option to create and manage labels on Android. Gmail for desktop has had labels for over a decade, while the iOS app has supported the functionality since at least 2019. It made little sense for Google to omit a useful feature from the Android app. Thankfully, it’s now starting to roll out labels in Gmail for Android, and I was able to spot them on one of my Google accounts.
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The option appears in Gmail’s overflow menu, which can be accessed by tapping the hamburger button (three horizontal bars) in the top-left corner. Above the existing labels, a new option to create a label appears. Once the Create Label button is tapped, you can proceed by entering a suitable name and then hitting Save.
The newly created label will now be available alongside other labels in the same menu mentioned above.
To edit or delete a label, go to Settings, choose the Gmail address, and select Manage labels. Here, you can change the name and the change frequency of the label, as well as delete it. There’s no option to customize a label, such as by changing its color, yet.
To assign a label, long-press the particular email, tap the three-dot button on the top-right, and then select Label as. Then, you can choose the appropriate labels (yes, you can choose multiple options) and tap OK.
As I mentioned above, the feature is only available for me on one of my three Gmail accounts, though it’s available across all my Android devices with that account. I see the option with version 2026.01.26.862970449.Release of the Gmail app for Android, and it appears to be a server-side. It’s difficult to determine whether this is the beginning of a slow rollout or another test. Google has not yet updated the feature’s support page, so I can’t confirm with certainty, but I expect it will do so soon.
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