Google has announced an update to the web version of Google Contacts. It’s an app that has long been hidden inside of Gmail and has never gotten the attention it deserved, but that’s changing with today’s announcement.
The most obvious change is a Material Design user interface that is in line with their vision of a more beautiful internet. No secrets or surprises there. The new functionality is what has us most excited, though.
For starters, Google has made it easier to find and manage duplicate contacts. They say they’ve built the engine from the ground up to more effectively and accurately identify duplicates, and they make it quite easy to either delete or combine entries with one click of a button.
They’ve also made a change where recent meetings and conversations with a certain contact will now show up on their page. It’s a nice and natural way to reference an encounter without having to get your hands messy with a search. Finally, when it can, Google Contacts will use Google+ profile information to automatically keep your contacts up to date (and anything it can’t catch you can always find yourself).
These changes won’t be available from within Gmail just yet, but you can get a preview by heading right here. Be sure to bookmark it for easy access while we await its integration into Gmail and (hopefully) Inbox by Gmail.
[via Google]
