The centerpiece is a smarter inbox that offers search suggestions as you type, so you can quickly recommend a restaurant or add flight details. You don't have to be stone-cold serious, though: there's also an easier way to find "expressions" like emoji and GIFs if you want to have some fun. There's also a refined photo interface that puts all your sent and received images in one place, and a "modern" conversation style that helps you handle attachments.

You'll only have to flip a toggle to turn the beta features on or off, but don't count on seeing it right away. It'll take a few weeks before everyone can experiment. Even so, this beats waiting weeks or months for features that you know you could appreciate right away.