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Gmail Quietly Rolls Out Attachment Previews in Android Notifications

Early testers say the preview can replace the usual message snippet, and access remains limited to select accounts.

Overview

  • Compact alerts now show a paperclip and a pill-shaped label that identifies attachment types such as images or PDFs.
  • Expanding some notifications can display a small thumbnail of the attached file, though the preview is not appearing for everyone yet.
  • When an attachment is detected, the preview can take the place of the email body excerpt, requiring users to open the message to read text.
  • The change is rolling out slowly on Android and has not been formally announced by Google.
  • The behavior was first highlighted by 9to5Google and corroborated by Droid Life and Android Central after sightings since late last week.