Earlier this year in February, Google rolled out a new feature in Gmail called "Search Chips" which aimed to make searching for emails a simpler process. The feature essentially made search filters easily accessible, by providing them as clickable suggestions underneath the search box. However, at the time, the feature was only rolled out on Gmail for G Suite users and the company had revealed no plans to extend it to the consumer version of Gmail. Now, it seems like the company is finally rolling out Search Chips in Gmail for consumers.

Search Chips on Gmail for G Suite users

For the unaware, Gmail previously required users to type out filters like "label:work" or "from:email@address.com" in order to narrow down emails. Users could also use a combination of the aforementioned filters to narrow down the search even further. But, as you'd expect, this method isn't very convenient and a lot of Gmail users don't even know how to use these filters. With the new feature, users will be able to type in a keyword (or a combination of keywords) in the search bar to bring up clickable filter suggestions or "Search Chips".

Gmail Search Chips

As you can see in the screenshot above, typing out the keyword 'calibrate' brings up a couple of filter suggestions, including Exclude charts, Any time, Has attachment, and To me. Clicking on these suggestions allows you to narrow down your search even further, which is significantly easier than typing out the old filters. Additionally, in case the filter suggestions aren't of any help in a particular case, you also get the option to run an Advanced search by clicking on the option right next to the suggestions.

While Google hasn't officially announced the rollout, Mishaal Rahman and Max Weinbach from our team have already received the feature on their personal Gmail account. It's quite possible that the company is currently testing the feature with a small number of users, with plans to roll it out to more users in the coming weeks. We'll update this post as and when Google shares more information regarding the rollout.