Although Gmail remains the most used email service in the world, it is obvious that its competitors are pushing to try to remove Google’s program from its throne. And, to this end, one of its strongest rivals has just released an application for Windows and Mac. This could mark the turning point that those responsible for it were looking for.
Right now it seems strange to imagine that, one day, Gmail could go out of style and become a secondary option that will little by little be forgotten. But, in the past, we thought the same about Hotmail or Yahoo and, in the end, both services passed away (or changed names). Therefore, we cannot rule out that the same thing may end up happening with Gmail in the future. Tools like Proton Mail could be responsible for this, thanks to its latest development.
The most anticipated novelty
It must be said that Proton Mail is not a new email program. In reality, it was originally launched in 2013, but it has been in recent times that its popularity has multiplied. Although it is difficult to know what may have led to it becoming a trend, it is obvious that the name Proton Mail is becoming more and more popular among a large number of users. Maybe it is, in any case, because there are people who no longer feel as comfortable as before with Gmail.
Due to this, those responsible for the program have just launched what had been requested so much: an application to be able to use it on the desktop on both Windows and Mac. This means that we will no longer have to depend on web access, which we always had. generated a bit of rejection among those looking for a more independent email experience.
Still needs to improve
Although many years have passed since we have access to the web version of Proton Mail, which offers very useful features, the desktop edition still has work to do. In some ways, it feels like the developers have released it in a hurry, since it is missing many of the features that are essential for web access. And it is not normal considering that the program had already been in beta form for some time and is now moving to its final version.
What we miss most are some of its internal apps. This is one of the features that makes Proton Mail so popular and it is a shame to see that there are some features that are not available, at least for now. One of those absent is the VPN mode, which allows us to introduce an additional layer of security to know that our access will be redirected through another connection. Proton Drive is also not present, which is a highly secure added system that encrypts the files that are shared from the sender of the email to the recipient. And, as a third absence, Proton Pass is missing, the password management environment that ensures that all your data is confidential and that no type of leak occurs.
With these three elements not available, what we see is that Proton Mail in its downloadable program “has lost” some of its very famous security layer. But they are such appreciated functions in this email software that we deduce that they will be something that will end up being incorporated in future updates. What is already available are those possibilities more directly related to the use of email, such as the Contacts system or the calendar.
The good news is that we should not think that Proton has left safety aside. Although those functions are not yet available, what the company has done instead is launch the Security Center. In this part of the program it is possible to activate a security tool known as Proton Sentinel that uses artificial intelligence to protect your experience and your documents. In addition to this, there is also a two-step identification system and the opportunity to create aliases.
No less important, the design of the program is simple as shown in the web version and very dynamic, so it is a pleasant experience. The only bad thing is that, unfortunately, the desktop application is mysteriously not usable by all users, but is limited to those who are paying for one of the Premium versions, be it Mail Plus, Proton Unlimited or Proton Family. It is unknown if, however, this will be something that changes in the future.
We must not forget that many of the millions of users that Proton Mail has have a free account, which gives access to 1GB of storage. Right now everyone can try the application with a free period of 14 days after which we will have to start paying one of the fees if we want to continue using it. Meanwhile, along with this definitive launch on Windows and Mac, the company has also released the Linux beta, since they do not want to leave any user without the opportunity to try the app.
