LOS ANGELES: Social media posts and chat app messages can easily be edited or deleted for everyone after sending, but when it comes to emails, sent usually means sent.
For anyone who has wanted an extra layer of protection that gives you control over an email after it’s sent, Gmail has a handy feature.
The Google-run email client has a lesser-known feature called confidential mode, allowing you to:
- Set an expiry date for reading messages.
- Revoke access to a message at any time.
- Protect the content with a code.
This is possible because, in principle, the email content remains on Google's server rather than in the recipient's inbox.
At least within Gmail, the recipient cannot forward, copy, print or download the content of a confidential message, although it is of course still possible to photograph the information, write it down or – easiest of all – take a screenshot.
Confidential mode is mainly intended to prevent mistakes
According to Google, the aim is not primarily a watertight solution. Instead, confidential mode is designed to prevent recipients from accidentally forwarding or sharing content.
On a computer, you create a confidential email like this – the settings apply to the message text and attachments:
- Click "Compose".
- In the bottom right of the window, click "Turn confidential mode on/off".
- Set an expiry date and optionally an SMS security code, which requires the recipient's mobile number.
If you select "No SMS passcode", that option applies only to the Gmail app. Its users can open the confidential message directly. Everyone else still receives a security code to open it.
To revoke access to a message, go to the "Sent" folder, open the email and click "Remove access".
Recall emails? Yes, it is possible
All emails sent via Gmail can still be recalled for a short period immediately after sending (5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds).
To do this, click the "Undo" option at the bottom left when you see the message "Your message has been sent".
Here is how to change the time period during which emails can be recalled:
- At the top right, click the gear icon.
- Click "See all settings".
- Next to "Undo Send", select the relevant period (5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds).
- At the bottom, click "Save changes".
– dpa
