If you’re overwhelmed with email alerts daily, Gmail for Android may soon get a handy new feature that makes managing them a bit easier. Google is currently testing a small yet impactful tweak that adds a ‘mark as read’ button right in the notification center. 
While this might sound like a simple addition, it could revolutionize how quickly users handle incoming emails.
The feature was first noticed by an X user who reached out to Android Authority. According to their report, the button appeared on one of their Gmail accounts, with the latest app version (2025.06.15). However, others with the same version haven’t seen it yet, suggesting the feature is either being rolled out gradually or is being tested with a select group of users.
Another user, Gilroy, confirmed the feature’s presence in a post but didn’t provide a screenshot or app version details, further supporting the theory that this might be part of an A/B test. Google often uses such tests to gauge user feedback before launching broader updates.
Currently, Gmail for Android offers limited options when interacting with notifications-replying, archiving, or deleting emails, depending on your settings. However, a ‘mark as read’ option would put Gmail for Android on par with its iOS counterpart and other email apps that already feature this function.
For Android users, the absence of a quick ‘mark as read’ button has often meant needing to open the app or set up swipe gestures in inbox settings
. With this feature, you can simply decide whether an email is worth reading based on the subject and preview text in the notification-helping to clear unimportant messages without even opening the app.
This simple change would be a game-changer for those of us who prefer triaging emails directly from notifications. While large updates typically focus on AI and productivity features, these quality-of-life tweaks often make the biggest difference in daily use. Hopefully, Google expands the rollout soon and continues to improve Gmail for Android with more practical tools like this one.