Gmail is formalizing a solution to your email nightmares: the “Undo Send” button.

If you forward co-worker gossip to the whole office, or deliver a love letter to your boss instead of your girlfriend, the goof-ups can be reversed. Gmail users can now retrieve their “oops” emails by putting a delay on all outgoing messages by at least five seconds. The truly paranoid can add a 30-second lag.

Gmail users already worried over such possible snafus know that the undo option is not new; users could install it via Gmail Labs, an experimental section of Gmail, as early as 2009. The Google crew recognized its popularity and gave it an upgrade Monday, making some observers ask: What took so long?

To turn it on, click “Settings” under the gear icon, and choose your cancellation time period. Users who had already opted for the function under Google Labs will have their preferences turned on by default.


Twitter: @dainabethcita

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