Gmail has over 1 billion active users

Does it feel like virtually everyone you know has a Gmail address? You're not alone. While discussing its latest fiscal results, Alphabet has confirmed that there are now over 1 billion active Gmail users per month, or 100 million more than there were last May. That's a big milestone, but it's almost surprising that Google's email service didn't hit the magic figure earlier. After all, Facebook reached the 1 billion mark last summer, and it's a non-essential social network -- you'd think a vital tool like email would get there first. Clearly, Facebook is a more common bond that transcends your choice of email providers.

That's not the only tidbit Alphabet wanted to crow about, though. It also noted that about 10 percent of replies from Google Inbox users are automatic. There's a real chance that your Inbox-toting friend responded to your thoughtful, carefully-written email with a quick AI-generated message. That doesn't bode well for the future of human interaction, but it does suggest that Autoreply is more than a mere novelty.