One writer quit the Gmail app to escape AI summaries and found trade-offs

A writer at Android Police says he quit the Gmail app on his Android phone because he was tired of AI summaries in his inbox. He found two email apps with no AI by default, Thunderbird and Proton Mail. Both beat Gmail in some ways. Both also came with trade-offs.

Why he left

Jon Gilbert says he deletes about 90% of the email he gets, so he does not need help with volume. He disliked how Gmail automatically summarized his messages through Google's Gemini AI. In his view, the summaries were at best useless and at worst wrong. He also did not want suggested replies, and did not want to send AI-written messages to others.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird is a free email app from the makers of Firefox. Gilbert calls it his favorite email app. It has a clean look, no AI tools, and it loaded his mail faster than Gmail. He suspects that is because it downloads and indexes email on the device by default, so it talks to servers less.

The catches are real. Thunderbird puts everything in one folder. Gmail sorts mail into Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates and Forums, which lets him clear promotions in one tap. The desktop version is also a problem. It cannot be used in a web browser, so it must be downloaded. He describes it as dated, with extra tabs and windows and a font so small he had to squint.

Proton Mail

Proton Mail works in a browser and looks a lot like Gmail, with similar inbox categories. Gilbert found it free of clutter. It does have an AI assistant called Lumo, but only paying subscribers get it. Free users get no AI. He found that ironic, since he says he would pay to avoid AI assistants. He still called Proton's pricing aggressive.

The bigger cost

The biggest trade-off was not either app. Gilbert says leaving Gmail feels like leaving the whole Google setup, because Gmail is tied so closely to other Google apps. He had to rethink his calendar, notes and storage apps. He has used Proton's tools alongside Google's for months but has not fully switched, since he does not like juggling several apps.

What to consider

• Decide whether AI summaries and suggested replies actually bother you.
• Expect to lose Gmail's sorted inbox tabs if you try Thunderbird.
• Check whether you rely on Google's calendar, notes or storage before moving.
• Know that Proton's AI helper costs extra, and free users do not get it.

Gilbert's verdict is that escaping Gemini and using an app that does not annoy him at every click was worth the trouble. That is one person's view, and it comes from someone who says he is highly skeptical of AI.