Mozilla is updating its Thunderbird email app with a refreshed UI, better Gmail support

Mozilla today revealed its roadmap for updating its Thunderbird email client in 2019. The app, which had been getting a little long in the tooth especially compared with modern email clients like Microsoft’s Outlook Mail and Google’s Gmail web app is about due for a revamp, and Mozilla’s Ryan Sipes acknowledges that in a blog post.

One of Mozilla’s priorities is making a “more beautiful and useable” Thunderbird app. They’ll be bringing in changes to make the app feel more native and integrate with features like Windows 10 Action Centre which will make it easier to manage the post-holiday email deluge.

The firm will also be working on better Gmail support, so concepts like labels and other custom Google features transfer better to on their email app.
General integration and Gmail support aren’t the only things, the Thunderbird team also wants to make it more secure. More importantly, they want to make it easier to be more secure on Thunderbird.

“The UX/UI around encryption and settings will get an overhaul in the coming year, whether or not all this work makes it into the next release is an open question – but as we grow our team this will be a focus,” Sipes said, ” It is our hope to make encrypting Email and ensuring your private communication easier in upcoming releases, we’ve even hired an engineer who will be focused primarily on security and privacy.”

Source: Mozilla