On Wednesday, January 24, Astro launched version 3.0 — a new version of its email assistant app for iOS, Mac, Android, and Slack. Aside from a redesigned interface, the update also brings a variety of new features such as a built-in calendar, an extended list of Astrobot commands, and more.
With Astro, you can use common email features to help you manage your inbox such as setting reminders to answer them later, tracking emails you have opened, along with scheduling ones as well. In comparison to other email clients on the market, Astro uses artificial intelligence to track your behavior and create a more personalized experience.
The app also includes a personal built-in assistant known as Astrobot. It can detect questions from your emails, send you reminders, and offer suggestions for emails to get rid of.
In its latest update, users can now improve their workflow by adding their Gmail and Office 365 calendars. After selecting which accounts you like to use, you can then add or update events within Astro.
Your calendar will also keep track of your other activity throughout the app. If you schedule an email to be sent later or send a reminder through Astrobot, it will be added to your Calendar so that you can easily see what is on the agenda for the day.
Last summer, Astro introduced its Slack integration — allowing Astro to send emails in the form of a direct message between you and Astrobot. You’re able to reply to emails, delete them, or archive them without having to leave the messaging platform. With Calendar, you can now ask Astrobot specific commands like “When am I free tomorrow?” straight from Slack.
Astro 3.0 also brings improvements to Astrobot’s capabilities when it comes to its Insights, which you can now view separately. In addition to following up on emails and questions, the app’s A.I. will identify times or due dates when it comes to events and tasks.
With its new mentions feature, you will be able to reference a teammate in an email. By tagging them the same way you would on social media or Slack, they receive the notification in their Insights.
Other new features include Astrobot’s ability to respond to more commands such as create new folders, search emails by name or subject. With the Zap command, you will also be able to unsubscribe from, archive, or delete emails from a specific folder, mark and move emails, as well as empty your junk folder.
To accompany all the new features, Astro received a revamp. The mobile app now includes a bottom bar with five tabs — to simplify navigation for Astrobot Insights and the Calendar — along with additional filters to the top of your inbox, and the option to add a photo avatar. As for the Mac, you will find Ask Astrobot on the bottom left sidebar and Insights on the top.
