Emails that don't need a reply

Not every email needs an answer — a newsletter, an out-of-office reply, or something you already handled another way. You can tell me so, and it stops counting as waiting for a reply.

How to mark one

Open the message in Settings → Inbox and choose No reply needed, next to Reply. The message stays in your Inbox, labelled No reply needed, but the Inbox card beside chat no longer counts it, and I won't offer to draft a reply to it. If I'd already drafted one that's waiting for your approval, decline it there. When nothing is left waiting, the card reads All caught up.

You can still reply to it any time — marking it doesn't stop you.

Changed your mind?

Choose Needs reply on the same message. It counts as waiting again, exactly as before.

Messages I mark myself

When someone I emailed about your business writes back, I can sometimes tell their message doesn't need you — an automatic reply, or someone who asked not to be contacted again. Those show why: Automatic reply, or Asked not to be contacted, I've stopped emailing them. Needs reply puts them back on your list too. Putting back someone who asked not to be contacted only puts their message back on your list; I still won't email them again.

See "Your business email address and inbox" for how the waiting count works.