Google is making it easier to manage contacts on the web. You can now create new contacts and edit existing contacts directly from the Contacts sidebar on the right of Gmail or Google Workspace. Previously, you needed to visit contacts.google.com for that.
Google added Contacts to the Gmail sidebar in late 2020. It allowed you to quickly view your contacts and recent conversations. While it offered an edit button too, clicking it simply took you to contacts.google.com where you could complete the action. The company is now simplifying this process by allowing you to edit contacts directly from the sidebar.
Once the latest update is available for you, clicking the edit button will let you make changes to any field (name, email, company, phone number, date of birth, and more) immediately. It will not redirect you to the Google Contacts web client. Edit any information you want to change and click on the Save button at the bottom of the sidebar.
You can also create new contacts from the right sidebar. Google has added a “Create contact” button to the top of the contacts list, above your favorites. Clicking it will open a new window within the sidebar where you can add all the necessary information and save the contact. Note that you cannot create a new contact from the “In this thread” view that opens when you expand Contacts after opening an email.
However, Google will let you create new contacts through search. Simply open Contacts in the sidebar and search for a name that you want to save, i.e. a name that doesn’t already exist on your contact list. You’ll get a “Create contact” button. Clicking on it will open a new window with the name pre-filled. You can add additional information and save the contact.
All Google users will get this update
Google started rolling out these changes for Contacts in Gmail or Google Workspace a few days back. In an official blog post, the company noted that there is no admin control for this feature. It also said that all Workspace customers, legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers, and users with personal Google Accounts will get the update. It could take a couple of weeks for the changes to reach everyone around the world. Simply go to Gmail.com on your computer and open Contacts in the ride sidebar to see if you have received the update.
2023-02-20 15:07:04