Gmail may soon let you view new attachment previews in Android notifications

Gmail for Android may soon allow users to preview photos and other attachments directly from their notification panel, as Google reportedly begins rolling out a redesigned alert interface. The update, first noted by 9to5Google, represents a significant shift in how Gmail surfaces attached files without requiring users to open the app.

At present, Gmail notifications on Android typically display only the sender’s name, the subject line and a brief snippet of the email. Under the new design, a paperclip icon now appears at the start of the subject line to indicate that the message contains an attachment. More notably, the profile image previously positioned on the right-hand side of the notification is replaced with a small thumbnail when the attachment is an image, enabling users to identify photos instantly, as reported by Business Standard.

When expanded, the notification reveals a larger, rectangular preview — a format similar to what is already common in many messaging platforms. This expanded layout prioritises the attachment preview, placing it above the main text of the email.

For messages containing multiple photographs, Gmail presents a row of additional thumbnails beneath the primary preview. Non-image files, such as PDFs or documents, are flagged with a pill-shaped label showing part of the file name, while the paperclip indicator continues to appear in the collapsed version of the notification.

The update has not yet been widely released, but the redesigned layout suggests Google is moving towards a more visual and user-friendly notification experience on Android.