A glitch in internet search giant Google’s Gmail service has resulted in some users sending emails to the wrong person, with rarely used contacts being suggested ahead of usual ones.
When you send an email in Gmail, as in many email services, your contacts are usually prioritised.
So, if you were used to emailing your friend John from work, when you typed in “J … O … H” it would suggest him fairly quickly, dismissing those who you very rarely communicate with, like John from the store.
Often this would happen after just one letter.
This is handy in the vast majority of circumstances, only halting your progress on those rare occasions that John from the store is truly who you wish to engage with. And why would you email that guy?
However, lately the opposite has been happening with some users, prompting a raft of angry reactions, and even a response from Gmail itself on Twitter.
*Shakes fist at the Gmail contacts bug which shows contacts not used first*
— joy larkin (@joy) February 23, 2015
.@gmail you need to fix the #autocomplete bug ASAP. Sent 2 emails to the wrong people so far. Not funny
— Gaurav Jain (@gjain) February 24, 2015
Apparently I’ve sent 3 emails today to the wrong people thanks to @gmail Autocomplete Bug. Amazing how reliant you get on smart software.
— Yoni Leitersdorf (@yonadavl) February 24, 2015
We’re aware of an issue with Gmail and auto-complete and are currently investigating. Apologies for any inconvenience.
— Gmail (@gmail) February 23, 2015
Thanks again for your patience everyone re: Gmail and auto-complete. We’ve identified the issue and are working on a fix. Stay tuned.
— Gmail (@gmail) February 24, 2015
The issue is not affecting everyone. Straw pole in the office sees just one of the three of us Gmailers feeling Google’s glitch wrath.
The problem isn’t fully fixed yet, judging by Twitter users’ comments, but it will probably be sorted quite soon given that Google noticed the problem several hours ago.
Frustrated man emailing image via Shutterstock
