Extra - your life's inbox

*Edit: email deletion issue seemed to be an issue on my end and has been remedied 👏🏽. Now I just need a way to use the AI features to look out for specific things/context/etc. without having to reprint each morning - job application status updates or interview requests, grad school acceptance emails, or emails from my mom which she rarely sends but might not be flagged as “notable” in the app. Since Extra provides a roundup of what it feels is most pressing, I get paranoid and still find myself pulling up the actual Gmail app to check to see if it missed anything in these categories, which is ultimately counterintuitive.* I absolutely love this take on a design- and function-first, AI enabled email wrapper. I found Extra on accident after signing up to a waitlist to learn more about the builders’ next planned project release. Did some digging into the company and found my way here. The only serious issue I have with the app is that I can’t actually delete the emails from their OG inbox when I hit the trash can from within Extra - it only removes it from the task list for the day on Extra’a side of things. So I end up having to open the Gmail app along side Extra and going back and forth between the two if I want to delete anything. That feels like a no-brainer that I can’t quite convince myself to even call a feature upgrade. I’ve only connected a couple Gmail inboxes, so I can’t say if this is possible with other account connections. If I could use this app to not only support my desire for neuroaesthetics in app design, but also to support my pipe dream of reaching ‘inbox zero’ one day, I’d say Extra could level up to a perfect 10/10.

Over the past two decades, email has gone from novel communication method to the unpleasant necessity that we put up with in our daily lives. It’s the weird great uncle that gets invited to every Thanksgiving — not because we enjoy his inappropriate jokes and conspiracy theories, but because he’s the last remaining memory of your beloved late great aunt. We begrudgingly accept that we must filter through an inbox full of hundreds of spam and digest emails daily because you’re holding out for that job offer, wedding invite, or the rare personal email from your friend. Some have given up their humanity completely and keep an inbox of thousands of unread and uncategorized messages. Extra has made email far more enjoyable and intuitive. Organization is user-friendly. Search works again and has been redefined. Email drafting is no longer a chore. Important emails make their way to a front page that is focused and action-oriented. Categorized tabs let you spent your time how you want to spend it (shopping, news, events, social). Receipts and package notifications are consolidated on one page. Cleaning up and unsubscribing from digests are simplified. Gmail has been asleep at the wheel on user experience. There is a new paradigm.

Absolute game-changer for me. This app has saved me a ton of time by automatically surfacing what actually matters or needs attention/action, instead of me digging through everything. It also helped me finally declutter my inbox..which was something I’d honestly given up on because it had gotten out of control and felt too overwhelming. Search is surprisingly powerful too. I’ve been able to find attachments I needed even when I didn’t remember the exact file name or details, which is huge. The AI drafts are another standout. They’re genuinely solid and usually need little to no editing before I send.