4 secret things you didn't know you could do with Gmail
With the outburst of technological advances these past few years, you may believe that an email is an obsolete form of communication. The inventions of texting and instant messaging have become wildly popular and for good reason, with these tools, you know that the message reached its recipient and even when they have read it in some cases. Thanks to the advantages of these types of messages, email seems like just a place to store newsletters and spam.
However, your email can do much more than you think. Don’t believe me? Check out these Gmail secrets below.
Send Text Messages
Your email account can allow you to send text messages. This feature may seem unnecessary but can come in handy if you break your phone, lose your phone, or your phone has died. It can help you send an urgent message when you have no other way.
This feature is also fairly easy to use. You just compose a new message and enter the person’s 10-digit number plus their SMS gateway address. If you have no idea what the gateway address, it’s simple. It’s the cell phone carrier’s address. For example, if the recipient has Verizon they likely use “@vtext.com.”
Post to Social Media
You may or may not have noticed that email address you have on your Facebook profile. Why is it there? What is it for? Well, it’s an email that allows you to update your status by simply sending an email to that address.
Other platforms, such as WordPress have a similar setup. With the constant access to Facebook thanks to mobile devices, this is another feature that people may feel is a little useless. However, if you’re someone who never remembers passwords, this feature will allow you to stay active without having to log in.
Keep in mind, you may need to alter your settings before you can utilize this feature. Similar to texting through email, you post to Facebook by composing a new message. Input the address given to you by the social media platform in the “To” field and type your status update. With this useful tool, you can also post videos and photos by simply attaching them to the email.
Send a Fax
While faxing isn’t the main way people exchange documents these days, it’s still needed for some industries and tasks. Fortunately, if you ever need to send a fax, you can do so through Google instead of trying to find a fax machine. Sending a fax isn’t a built-in feature of your Gmail account, so you will have to use a third-party Google fax service.
Third party services that provide email facing can be easily integrated with Google. They will provide you with a virtual fax number. With this number, you can digitally convert any outgoing or incoming fax through your Gmail.
If you’re someone who needs to send and receive fax in this digital age, go with a simple, third-party service for Google. You won’t need to install cables or purchase extra hardware, saving you both time and money.
Upload Files
Similar to using Gmail to post to your Facebook, you can upload files to hosting websites. Sites like Box and Flickr allow you to send files as email attachments to upload them to your account.
You can access this feature by going to your settings on both sites. Flickr will have an address for you, while Box has a more complicated process of activating this tool. Just like with Facebook, you send the files you wish to upload to that special address each site gives you.
The Bottom Line
Email may not be the fastest form of digital communication, but it still has its advantages. The range of uses for your Gmail account go beyond just sending and receiving messages. While you may not use these features every day, knowing what your Gmail can do can be valuable.