Here's a script which I think should do the job, assuming you have a filter set up to move all incoming mail to a label called 'hidden_mail' (warning: untested!):
function checkMail() {
GmailApp.moveThreadsToInbox(GmailApp.search('label:hidden_mail'));
}
var buffer = GmailApp.getUserLabelByName('buffered');
function release() {
buffer.getThreads().map(unbuffer);
}
function unbuffer(thread) {
thread.moveToInbox();
thread.removeLabel(buffer);
}Running your own server or use a more privacy catered provider with Thunderbird or whatever client isn't so hard.
I could self host my own email server, cloud storage and backup solution, calendar software, facebook-alternative node, blog.
Or I could use gmail, GDrive, google calendar, facebook and wordpress.
Yes, I can do everything myself, but now I'm spending my time maintaining each of those different self hosted solutions.
I have the luxury that none of my emails are "urgent" (i.e. I don't work in Customer Support), so I disabled email notifications and just take a look whenever I want.
I'm a little confused as to why one would need such a service.
I'd imagine this is a concern for some people with this type of service similar to how in the past Chrome extensions have proceeded down this path without anyone being the wiser.
It really seems like people don't realize the potential pandora's box that they can open by sharing their emails with someone or an organization, even if that organization is currently trustworthy.
And a couple of questions for you about your infrastructure security. What is your infrastructure security and when you get breached what will you do about it? I'm assuming given your company's ability to access emails someone will find you a juicy enough target and if you get big potentially even criminal organizations and state actors would. If that's the case you will almost certainly be breached to some extent because you have a juicy treasure trove.
I will say, adios.ai has really nailed the marketing message. The website does a great job explaining a modestly complex idea. I have struggled with the message and marketing. Mostly, my users are people who knew they wanted this solution and went looking for me. I think adios.ai will do a better job of convincing people who didn't realize this is what they wanted.
Kudos!
Just kidding. But not really. :D
It basically forces me to only check email when I really, really want to.
Just FYI it wasn't not super clear how it actually works, i.e. how to get it setup, is it a gmail plugin, or do I have to change my email settings to make all emails pass by you first (which is red flag privacy-wise).
The way it works:
1. creates a filter that filters your incoming emails into a hidden gmail label
2. at your chosen times we use the gmail api to move the emails back in to the inbox.
Adios never ever accesses the content of your emails, for any reason.
Any and all feedback welcome. Happy to take any questions.
- Write message as status, telling people you're alive but not available
- Shut the window
- Have the willpower to not re-open it
Sorry, pollice verso.
How this phrase can go "either way"?
Ps English is not my motherlanguage so I may made many mistake than maybe sound strange for other readers, if that's the case please point it out, it's a valuable lesson for me.
Two big reasons we built it: 1. the discipline to only check emails X times a day is unfortunately not one that comes naturally to us, and 2. a large part of our job is replying to and dealing with emails, so we still wanted to be able to be in our inbox (to find the relevant information for a current task), but don't want new emails jumping up and interrupting our flow.
So nice, that feeling, when you get through your batch of emails, and knowing you now have 4-5 hours of un(email) interrupted focus time.
E-mail is a substitute for mail, it is not a replacement for phone calls or SMS. (and both phone calls and SMS should be IMHO used parsimoniously by the people needing your attention).
Previous similar themed thread on HN, JFYI:
Source: I did a short paper once on the painting by Gérôme of the same name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollice_Verso_(G%C3%A9r%C3%B4m...
Not bashing the service at all though. I'm a current user of Boomerang which has the same caveats.
'Nothing to gain' is incredibly hyperbolic I think or this person has never read about gmail/used gmail before.
Besides, there are providers like Proton if you can't afford to set one up.
Importantly though, the content of emails never ever hits our system. The API calls we use only retrieve msg ids and uses those to change the labels. These are never stored.
1. it works across all your devices (as works at the gmail server level)
2. you can set exceptions (e.g. email from mygirlfriend@gmail.com should always arrive immediately)
Took us 10 days to build, and costs us nothing to run. No intention to monetize (we run a BI platform called trevor.io which pays our salaries. Feel free to check it out if you want to support us :) ).