Is Gmail filtering emails? Here's what Google said after user complaints

Gmail users reported issues with email filtering, leading to promotional emails appearing in primary inboxes.

Google confirmed that a technical issue had been affecting Gmail after users reported that the platform’s email filtering system was not working as intended, leading to inboxes being flooded with promotional and update emails.

The company said it was actively working on a fix and urged users to remain cautious when opening emails from unknown senders. (Unsplash)

Users across regions complained that messages usually sorted into the Promotions or Updates tabs were instead landing directly in their primary inbox. Some also said, as per The Independent, that Gmail was displaying warning banners asking them to “be careful with this message,” even on routine emails.

What Google said

Google addressed the issue on a Workspace Status Dashboard, confirming the problem.

“We are experiencing an issue with Gmail beginning on Saturday, 2026-01-24 05:02 US/Pacific,” the company said. “We are aware that some Gmail users are experiencing misclassification of emails in their inbox and additional spam warnings,” it added.

The company said it had been “actively working” on a fix. A few hours after the original acknowledgement, Google posted on X that the issue had been “fully resolved for all users.”

When the Gmail issue began

According to Forbes, reports of the problem began surfacing on Saturday, Jan 24 as per US/Pacific time, when Gmail’s Promotions and Updates filters appeared to stop functioning for some users. Complaints were posted on Reddit, Google’s official forums, and by technology reporters.

One user wrote on a Google forum, “My promotional emails are all going to primary inbox. I did not change anything and this just started happening today." Another user said attempts to change Gmail settings did not help, adding, “Changing settings didn’t fix.”

For years, Gmail’s automatic filtering system has separated promotional content from personal emails, significantly reducing notification overload. Forbes noted that users have grown accustomed to this structure since Google introduced the tab-based inbox in 2013.

Instead, users reported that notifications were “pouring in nonstop,” with emails from businesses and companies appearing directly in the primary inbox rather than being filtered automatically.

The glitch came just hours after Gmail users were warned about a separate password breach affecting up to 48 million logins, according to The Independent.