Inbox by Gmail has always been Google's more daring and experimental email app. While Gmail has stayed largely the same over the years, Inbox was full of fresh and exciting features. However, recently, Gmail has been getting some of those features, which has led many to believe Inbox was on the way out. Google is announcing that Inbox will be discontinued by the end of March 2019 (via FastCompany).

Last time Google talked about Inbox the future was not nearly as bleak. This is what they had to say after the big Gmail redesign: “With respect to the upcoming Gmail announcement, there are no changes to Inbox by Gmail. It remains a great product for users with specific workflows and one in which we test innovative features for email.” That last bit is the most telling of what Inbox was really for. Google used it to beta test features before rolling them out to Gmail. Apparently, the beta test is over.

Google is, of course, no stranger to discontinuing apps and services. Inbox by Gmail users will not be happy about this news, but Gmail has been slowly adopting many of Inbox's features. If you've been using Inbox for the last several years, you may be surprised at how much Gmail has changed. Still, it was nice to have an official alternative for those who didn't like Gmail. Now those users will have to find a new email app to use.

Update: Inbox is Dead

Today marks the death of both Google+ and Inbox. The former is still available for G Suite customers while the latter will no longer be available for anyone. If you open the Inbox app, it'll tell you to switch to Gmail. While there's a trick you can use to bypass this warning, we recommend switching to an alternative email client like the newly released Spark app.