The UK government has begun testing a digital version of the driving licence as part of wider plans to modernise how people prove their identity and access public services through their smartphones.

Starts With Veteran Card

The testing marks a significant step in the rollout of a new GOV.UK Wallet, which is designed to allow people to store official government-issued documents digitally, starting with a digital Veteran Card and an early version of a mobile driving licence later this year.

Testing Began In December 2025

The digital driving licence is being tested privately within government, following initial development work led by the Government Digital Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Testing began in December, involving a small group of staff from GDS and DVLA, and is intended to inform a broader rollout planned for later in 2026.

The licence will be accessed through the GOV.UK One Login app, which already provides a single sign-on system for accessing government services. Within that app, the driving licence will function as a digital credential, allowing users to prove both their right to drive and, eventually, their age in everyday situations.

Importantly, the digital licence is optional. Physical photocard licences will remain valid, and drivers will not be required to switch to a digital version.

Why The Government Is Introducing A Digital Driving Licence

The move is actually part of a broader strategy to modernise public sector technology and reduce inefficiency across government services. According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, reforms to how the public sector builds and uses technology could unlock up to £45 billion in efficiency savings over time.

Digital credentials are seen as a key part of this effort. For example, by allowing documents to be issued and stored digitally, the government aims to reduce administrative delays, cut costs linked to printing and postage, and make services easier to access.

Science Secretary Peter Kyle has framed the initiative as part of a wider shift away from paper-based bureaucracy. In a statement accompanying the announcement, he said overflowing drawers of government letters and time spent waiting for appointments would “soon be consigned to history”, with GOV.UK Wallet allowing official documents to be issued virtually for those who choose to use it.

How The Digital Licence Will Work

The digital driving licence will sit within the GOV.UK Wallet, which is being built on top of the existing GOV.UK One Login infrastructure. Users will need to verify their identity through One Login, after which eligible credentials can be added to the app.

Thankfully, the government says that security is a central part of the design. For example, the wallet uses built-in smartphone protections, including biometric checks such as facial recognition, similar to those used for mobile banking and contactless payments. This means that even if a phone is lost, access to digital documents should remain restricted to the verified user.

Unlike a physical licence, the digital version can be issued immediately after a successful application, rather than arriving days later by post. Government officials argue this reduces the risk of documents being lost during house moves or misplacement.

Making It Verifiable By Third Parties

Testing is also reportedly focused on how the digital driving licence can be verified by organisations outside government. Unlike a physical photocard, digital credentials do not have visible security features, so checks rely on secure, programmatic verification rather than visual inspection.

With the user’s consent, a digital licence should enable third parties such as retailers selling age-restricted products, employers carrying out right-to-drive checks, car hire companies and online services to be able to confirm that a licence is genuine and valid. The system is being developed in partnership with approved digital identity providers, allowing the digital licence to be used in the same everyday situations as its physical equivalent.

Who Is Involved In Delivering The Scheme?

The project is being led by the Government Digital Service, which sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, working closely with the DVLA. The digital Veteran Card, launched earlier as a first credential, was developed in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Business Services.

The government says that more than 15,000 veterans have already added their digital Veteran Card to the GOV.UK One Login app, a figure the government has pointed to as early evidence of demand for digital credentials.

The driving licence trial represents a more complex test case, given how widely the licence is used as both proof of identity and proof of age.

Who The Digital Licence Is For

In practical terms, the digital driving licence is aimed at everyday users who already rely on their photocard licence for routine tasks. These include proving age when buying age-restricted items, confirming identity for online services, or demonstrating driving entitlement.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the digital licence as “a game changer for the millions of people who use their driving licence as ID”, arguing that it would make everyday interactions faster, easier and more secure.

The government has also emphasised that the system is designed to put users in control of their own data. Sharing a digital credential requires explicit consent, and only the information needed for a specific check should be shared.

Wider Context And Industry Concerns

The introduction of a government-backed digital wallet has not been without controversy. For example, when plans were first announced, private sector digital identity providers raised concerns that GOV.UK Wallet could compete directly with commercial age-verification and identity services.

Since then, GDS has engaged extensively with the digital identity industry, holding an initial industry kick-off event and nearly 30 follow-up meetings. The government has confirmed that approved third-party digital identity apps will be able to verify credentials stored in the GOV.UK Wallet, rather than being locked out of the ecosystem.

This collaboration is centred around the Digital Verification Service industry, which plays a key role in enabling secure identity checks across retail, online services and regulated sectors.

Privacy And Security Questions

As with any digital identity system, privacy and security remain central concerns. For example, storing identity documents on smartphones raises questions about data protection, device security and potential misuse.

The government’s position is that digital credentials can be more secure than physical documents. Unlike a plastic card, a digital licence can’t be visually copied, and its authenticity can be checked programmatically. Facial recognition and encryption are intended to reduce the risk of fraud or impersonation.

However, critics argue that digital systems can introduce new attack surfaces, particularly if users’ phones are compromised or if verification services are poorly implemented. These risks are likely to be scrutinised closely as the trial expands beyond internal testing.

What Happens Next?

Throughout 2026, the government plans to continue testing, refining and expanding the digital driving licence in partnership with the private sector. A wider rollout is expected later in the year, enabling more drivers to add their licence to the GOV.UK Wallet.

In terms of the longer-term ambition, it is broader still. By the end of 2027, the government intends for all public services to offer a digital alternative alongside paper or card-based credentials. Future additions to the wallet are expected to include DBS checks and other forms of government-issued proof.

Alongside the wallet, a new GOV.UK App is scheduled to launch in summer 2026, bringing together personalised services, notifications and, potentially, an AI-powered chatbot to help users navigate government information more easily.

The digital driving licence trial essentially sits at the centre of this wider transformation, acting as both a technical test and a signal of how the government intends people to interact with public services in the years ahead.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The digital driving licence trial shows how far the government is willing to go in shifting everyday identity checks away from physical documents and into a single, smartphone-based system. By starting with a licence that is already widely used as both proof of identity and proof of age, the government is testing not just the technology itself, but public confidence in digital credentials and the supporting verification infrastructure. How smoothly this transition works in real-world settings will be critical to whether the wider GOV.UK Wallet vision gains traction.

For UK businesses, the implications are practical rather than abstract. For example, retailers, employers, car hire firms and online platforms could eventually benefit from faster, more reliable identity and age checks, with less reliance on visual inspection and reduced exposure to forged or expired documents. At the same time, these organisations will need to adapt their systems and processes to support digital verification, raising questions around cost, integration and responsibility if checks fail or data is mishandled.

For citizens and other stakeholders, including privacy groups and digital identity providers, the trial represents a balancing act between convenience, security and trust. The government’s decision to keep the digital licence optional and to involve private sector verification services suggests an attempt to avoid forcing adoption or creating a closed system. Whether that balance holds as the scheme moves beyond testing and into wider use will shape how digital identity is accepted across the UK in the years ahead.

TikTok has formally completed a deal to split its US operations from its global business, establishing a new majority-American joint venture designed to address long-running national security concerns and prevent the platform from being banned in the United States.

A Long-Running Political And Legal Battle

The agreement, announced on 23 January, brings to an end a legal and political saga that has stretched back several years and repeatedly placed the future of TikTok in the US market in doubt, despite its vast popularity with users, creators, and advertisers.

A Deal Years In The Making

The creation of TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC follows sustained pressure from successive US administrations over the app’s Chinese ownership and the perceived risk that American user data or content recommendation systems could be influenced by Beijing.

Concerns first surfaced publicly during Donald Trump’s first term in 2020, when he attempted to ban TikTok outright. While that effort failed, scrutiny intensified under President Joe Biden, culminating in legislation passed in 2024 that required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations or face an effective ban.

That law then set a deadline of January 2025, briefly forcing TikTok offline for US users before enforcement was paused. After returning to the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly extended deadlines while negotiations continued with American and international investors. In September 2025, Trump signed an executive order establishing a framework that would allow TikTok to keep operating in the US if it restructured ownership, governance, and technical controls. The announcement this week confirms that those requirements have now been met.

What The New Joint Venture Looks Like

Under the new agreement, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC has been established as an independent entity with majority American ownership and control. TikTok says the joint venture will now be responsible for securing US user data, the US version of the app, and the content recommendation algorithm.

In its official announcement, TikTok said the joint venture had been created “in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025”, and that it would allow “more than 200 million Americans and 7.5 million businesses to continue to discover, create, and thrive” on the platform.

ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, retains a 19.9 per cent minority stake in the new company, below the threshold required to trigger a ban under US law. The remaining ownership is held by a consortium of non-Chinese investors.

Three managing investors, Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, each hold 15 per cent stakes. Additional investors include the Dell Family Office, Vastmere Strategic Investments, Alpha Wave Partners, General Atlantic affiliate Via Nova, and NJJ Capital, the family office of French telecoms entrepreneur Xavier Niel.

Financial terms of the transaction have not yet been disclosed, although US Vice President JD Vance previously suggested the deal valued TikTok’s US operations at around $14bn, a figure that analysts have noted is lower than earlier estimates.

Governance And Oversight

The joint venture will be overseen by a seven-member board of directors, with a majority of American members. TikTok’s global chief executive Shou Zi Chew will remain on the board, alongside senior figures from the investment groups backing the deal.

Independent oversight is built into the structure through the appointment of Raul Fernandez, chief executive of DXC Technology, as chair of the board’s Security Committee. TikTok says this committee will play a central role in ensuring compliance with national security and data protection requirements.

Also, Adam Presser, previously a senior executive within TikTok and TikTok US Data Security, has been appointed as chief executive of the joint venture. Will Farrell, formerly of Booz Allen Hamilton, a major US government and cybersecurity consultancy, will serve as chief security officer.

Data Protection And Cybersecurity Commitments

A central feature of the agreement is the handling of US user data, which has been at the heart of lawmakers’ concerns. TikTok says all US user data will be stored and protected within Oracle’s secure cloud infrastructure based in the United States.

According to the company, the joint venture will operate a “comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program” that will be audited and certified by third-party cybersecurity specialists. TikTok says that this programme will adhere to recognised standards including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-53, ISO 27001, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s security requirements for restricted transactions.

In its announcement (in the TikTok online newsroom), the company said the mandate of the joint venture is “to secure US user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures”, while ensuring ongoing accountability through transparency reporting and external certification.

Algorithm Control Moves To The US

The platform’s recommendation algorithm, widely regarded as TikTok’s most valuable and sensitive asset, has been a particular point of contention, i.e., because it determines what content US users see and how information spreads at scale. Under the new structure, the algorithm used for US users will be retrained, tested, and updated using only US user data.

TikTok says this algorithm will be secured entirely within Oracle’s US cloud environment, with ongoing software assurance processes in place. These include regular source code review and validation, carried out with Oracle acting as a “trusted security partner”.

While the algorithm has been licensed to the US joint venture, experts have noted that retraining it exclusively on American data could subtly alter the type of content users see, although the scale and impact of any changes remain uncertain.

Trust, Safety And Content Moderation

Responsibility for trust and safety policies, including content moderation decisions, will now sit with the joint venture rather than TikTok’s global parent. TikTok says this gives the US entity “decision-making authority” over how content rules are set and enforced for American users.

The safeguards introduced under the agreement will not only apply to TikTok itself, but also to other apps operated by the company in the US, including CapCut and Lemon8.

Maintaining A Global Platform

Despite the separation, TikTok has been keen to stress that the platform will continue to function as a global service. For example, an interoperability framework allows US users to interact with creators worldwide, while US-based creators and businesses can still reach international audiences.

Commercial activities such as advertising, marketing, and e-commerce will continue to be supported through TikTok’s global infrastructure, even as core data and security functions are localised within the US.

Political Reaction And Wider Context

President Trump welcomed the announcement, posting on social media that he was “so happy to have helped in saving TikTok”, and publicly thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for approving the deal.

The White House and China’s embassy in Washington have been contacted by US media for comment, although neither had issued a formal response at the time of writing.

However, the resolution of TikTok’s US situation stands in contrast to developments elsewhere. For example, in Canada, a federal court recently suspended a government order that would have shut down TikTok’s business operations, forcing a fresh national security review and temporarily protecting access for around 14 million Canadian users.

For TikTok, the establishment of TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC provides regulatory certainty in its most important overseas market, ending years of uncertainty for users, creators, advertisers, and employees. The longer-term implications for how the platform operates, evolves, and competes in the US will become clearer as the new structure beds in.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This deal reshapes how TikTok operates in the United States, placing data control, algorithm oversight, and content moderation firmly within a US governed structure while allowing the platform to continue operating at scale. For American regulators, it represents a rare example of a global consumer technology company being forced to localise core technical systems rather than simply make policy assurances. For TikTok, it removes the immediate threat of a shutdown in a market that accounts for more than 200 million users and millions of businesses that rely on the platform for reach and revenue.

The agreement also sets a clear precedent for how national governments may approach foreign owned digital platforms in future. Data residency, third party security audits, and domestic control of recommendation algorithms are no longer abstract policy demands but concrete requirements that companies may be expected to meet. Other technology firms with global user bases will be watching closely to see how rigorously these safeguards are enforced and whether similar frameworks are proposed elsewhere.

For UK businesses, the outcome matters even though the restructuring is US focused. For example, TikTok remains a major marketing, commerce, and discovery platform for British brands, creators, and agencies that depend on its global reach and advertising tools. Any material changes to how the algorithm is trained or moderated in the US could influence wider content trends, advertising performance, and platform strategy internationally, particularly if similar regulatory pressures emerge in Europe or the UK over data protection and platform governance.

It looks as though advertisers, creators, and partners now gain a period of stability after years of uncertainty, but that stability comes with closer scrutiny of how TikTok balances growth, safety, and regulatory compliance. The platform now appears to have secured its position in the US for the time being, but the structure of the deal makes clear that access to major markets increasingly depends on transparency, technical controls, and political acceptability as much as user growth or innovation.

Popular password management service, LastPass, has issued an alert after customers were targeted in a phishing campaign designed to steal account credentials using fake maintenance warnings.

The campaign began around 19 January and involves emails falsely claiming that LastPass is about to carry out system maintenance. Recipients are urged to back up their password vaults within 24 hours, a tactic intended to create urgency and prompt rushed action.

LastPass said the emails use multiple sender addresses and subject lines such as “LastPass Infrastructure Update: Secure Your Vault Now”. Links in the messages lead to a convincing fake website, initially hosted via an Amazon S3 bucket, before redirecting users to a spoofed LastPass login page designed to capture master passwords.

The company stressed it will never ask users to back up vaults or share master passwords by email. The timing of the campaign over a US holiday weekend suggests attackers were attempting to delay detection and extend the lifespan of the scam.

For businesses and other users, the alert is a reminder to be wary of urgent security emails, avoid clicking embedded links, and access LastPass only through its official website or app.

Japan has lifted a prototype offshore wind turbine wall above the ocean, demonstrating how a new clustered turbine design could dramatically increase renewable energy output while reshaping the economics of offshore wind.

A Different Way Of Thinking About Offshore Wind

For more than two decades, offshore wind has largely followed the simple formula of building ever-larger turbines, spacing them far apart to avoid wake interference, and placing them in areas with the strongest winds. That approach has actually delivered some impressive gains, with individual turbines now exceeding 15 MW and offshore wind becoming a central pillar of many national decarbonisation plans.

However, the new wind turbine wall developed in Japan challenges that model. For example, rather than relying on a single massive rotor, the system clusters many smaller turbines into a single vertical structure, creating what researchers describe as a dense, high-efficiency energy-harvesting surface above the sea.

The concept has been developed by Kyushu University, through its Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind, known as RECOW, which was established in 2022 to accelerate offshore wind research, education and real-world deployment.

How The Wind Turbine Wall Works

At the heart of the design is so-called wind lens technology. Each turbine is surrounded by a circular diffuser, or shroud, with a brim at the rear. This structure creates a low-pressure zone behind the blades, effectively pulling more air through the rotor and increasing wind speed at the point of generation.

Between Two and Three Times the Power Output

Laboratory tests and real-world deployments of wind lens turbines have shown power output increases of between two and three times compared with conventional turbines of the same rotor diameter. When multiple wind lens turbines are arranged closely together, as they are in the wall configuration, the airflow between units is further accelerated, delivering an additional uplift in overall output.

Tackles Wake Interference Too

This clustered approach also addresses the long-standing constraint of wake interference. For example, whereas conventional turbines must be spaced hundreds of metres apart to avoid turbulence from upstream units reducing efficiency, the wall layout turns that problem into an advantage by intentionally shaping and channelling airflow across the structure.

Sited Offshore in Japan

The prototype wind turbine wall was recently lifted into position offshore as part of Japan’s expanding offshore wind research programme. The deployment aligns with changes to Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone framework, which is opening larger areas of surrounding sea to renewable energy development.

Government-backed estimates suggest Japan’s floating offshore wind potential could reach around 1,600 GW, a figure that far exceeds its current national electricity demand and highlights why offshore renewables are increasingly central to the country’s energy strategy.

Professor Emeritus Yuji Ohya, who leads wind energy research at Kyushu University, has framed the turbine wall as a clear break from the constraints of conventional offshore wind design, saying: “By moving beyond the limitations of single-rotor physics, we have unlocked a way to harness the ocean’s wind with unprecedented density. The wall is not just a structure; it is a specialised instrument that triples our power potential while coexisting peacefully with our marine environment and local fishing industries.”

Why Smaller Turbines Could Mean Lower Costs

One of the most significant promises of the wind turbine wall lies in cost reduction. Offshore wind costs have fallen sharply over the past decade, yet recent projects have faced renewed pressure from rising material prices, complex logistics and expensive installation vessels.

However, the new wall approach uses smaller, standardised turbines rather than ultra-large bespoke units. This reduces the need for specialised heavy-lift ships and allows maintenance to be carried out using simpler access systems rather than rope teams or jack-up vessels. In typhoon-prone waters such as those around Japan, modularity also improves resilience, as damaged units can be isolated or replaced without shutting down an entire installation.

Early modelling suggests that, at scale, wind turbine walls could help bring the levelised cost of energy for floating offshore wind down towards around £55 per MWh by the mid-2030s, a figure increasingly seen as necessary for offshore wind to remain competitive without heavy subsidy.

Implications For Energy Systems And Businesses

For national energy systems, high-density offshore wind structures could change how generation capacity is planned and connected to the grid. A wall that produces three times the output of a comparable footprint may reduce the number of individual platforms and export cables required, lowering seabed disruption and grid connection costs.

For energy developers and utilities, the design offers a potential alternative route to scale at a time when some large offshore wind projects are being delayed or redesigned due to cost inflation. Businesses with large electricity demands, including data centres and heavy industry, stand to benefit indirectly from more stable long-term renewable supply and reduced exposure to fossil fuel price volatility.

Also, the approach may be particularly useful for countries with limited shallow continental shelves, where fixed-bottom offshore wind is not viable. Floating wind turbine walls are designed specifically for deep-water environments, extending offshore wind deployment to regions that have so far been constrained by seabed depth.

Similar Ideas Elsewhere

It’s worth noting here that Japan is not alone in rethinking offshore wind architecture. For example, in Norway, Wind Catching Systems is developing a floating “wind wall” concept that stacks dozens of small turbines into a single frame. The company has received regulatory approval and public funding support for prototype development off the Norwegian coast.

Norway’s approach shares several principles with the Japanese design, including modular turbines, simplified maintenance and higher energy density. Both projects reflect a broader trend in offshore wind innovation, where developers are exploring alternatives to simply increasing rotor size.

Floating wind more generally is already proving viable at scale. For example, projects such as Hywind Tampen (in Norway) have demonstrated that floating turbines can operate reliably in harsh offshore conditions, supplying electricity to industrial users and feeding surplus power into national grids.

Environmental And Social Considerations

Supporters of wind lens and wall-based designs argue that they may offer environmental advantages. For example, the diffuser rings make turbine structures more visible to birds, potentially reducing collision risk, while lower blade tip speeds and smoother airflow can reduce aerodynamic noise.

That said, visual impact remains a concern for offshore wind developments, particularly in coastal communities, although floating installations are typically located far beyond the horizon. Fisheries interactions, marine biodiversity and shipping routes must also be carefully managed, and regulators will expect robust long-term monitoring before large-scale deployment is approved.

Technical And Commercial Challenges Ahead

Despite promising early results, wind turbine walls remain at a relatively early stage of development. Long-term durability data is limited, and large floating structures face significant engineering challenges related to mooring, corrosion and extreme weather.

There is also some scepticism within parts of the industry about whether novel designs can actually match the reliability and bankability of conventional offshore turbines, which benefit from decades of operational data. Also, securing financing for first-of-a-kind projects can be difficult, particularly in volatile energy markets.

Some analysts also point out that offshore wind’s recent slowdown in several countries has less to do with turbine design and more to do with permitting delays, grid constraints and supply chain bottlenecks. New technology alone will not resolve those systemic issues.

What the Japanese wind turbine wall demonstrates, however, is that offshore wind innovation is far from exhausted, and that rethinking fundamental assumptions about turbine layout and airflow could open up new pathways for sustainable energy generation at sea.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

The wind turbine wall idea highlights how offshore wind innovation is now moving beyond incremental gains and into more fundamental redesigns aimed at cost, density and deployment constraints. Japan’s prototype does not replace conventional offshore turbines, but it does offer a credible alternative for locations where deep water, harsh conditions and limited seabed access make existing models harder to justify economically. As pressure grows to deliver more renewable power with fewer subsidies, designs that improve output per square metre and simplify installation are likely to attract serious attention from policymakers and investors.

For the energy sector, the wider implication is that offshore wind capacity may no longer be capped by turbine spacing and rotor size alone. For example, if clustered, modular systems can be proven reliable over time, they could allow countries to extract significantly more energy from the same offshore areas while reducing infrastructure duplication. That matters not just for energy security, but also for grid planning, marine spatial management and long-term decarbonisation strategies.

Energy-intensive UK sectors such as data centres, advanced manufacturing and industrial processing are becoming increasingly exposed to electricity price volatility and long-term supply risk, which is why technologies that reduce the cost and complexity of offshore wind deployment are attracting close attention. Any new approaches that improve output density and accelerate floating wind development could, therefore, offer a way to support more predictable electricity pricing over time, while reinforcing the case for expanding domestic renewable generation as part of wider energy resilience planning. For the UK’s offshore wind supply chain, which already plays a significant role in turbine manufacturing, marine engineering and long-term maintenance, alternative turbine architectures also point to potential opportunities around skills development, specialist services and exportable expertise as new offshore models move towards commercial viability.

Wind turbine walls still need to demonstrate long-term durability, financing viability and regulatory acceptance at commercial scale, particularly given the complexity of operating large floating structures in harsh offshore environments. Environmental impacts will also require careful monitoring, with developers expected to address interactions with fisheries, shipping routes and existing offshore infrastructure as projects move beyond the prototype stage. As with floating wind more broadly, progress will depend not only on engineering performance but also on planning frameworks, grid investment and market stability, all of which continue to shape how quickly new offshore technologies can be deployed.

Taken together, the Japanese wind turbine wall doesn’t appear to offer a quick fix for offshore wind’s current pressures, but it does reinforce the point that offshore wind’s next phase is likely to be defined less by size alone and more by smarter use of airflow, materials and space. For governments, businesses and energy developers alike, that shift could prove just as important as the leap from onshore to offshore wind was a generation ago.

You can now make flash-cards and quizzes and then test yourself (and other people) easier than ever. Discover how to create these quizzes quickly within the ChatGPT interface, this video shows just how easy it is …

[Note – To Watch This Video without glitches/interruptions, It may be best to download it first]

Most email platforms let you mark important messages so they do not get forgotten. Whether it is called a flag, a star, or a reminder, the idea is simple. Turn emails into prompts for action rather than things you hope you remember later.

Outlook

In Microsoft Outlook, follow-up flags work like lightweight tasks.

How to do it

– Right-click the email, or select it
– Choose Flag
– Pick a time such as Today, Tomorrow, This Week, or choose Custom

Flagged emails stay visible and are easy to revisit when you need to act.

Gmail

In Gmail, there are two useful ways to handle follow-ups.

Star an email

– Click the star icon next to the message
– Find it later under Starred in the left-hand menu

Snooze an email

– Open the email or hover over it in the inbox
– Click the Snooze icon
– Choose a time or pick a date and time

Snoozed emails disappear for now and return to your inbox when you actually need to deal with them.

Apple Mail

In Apple Mail, flags provide a clear visual reminder.

On iPhone or iPad

– Swipe left on the email
– Tap More
– Tap Flag and choose a colour if prompted

On Mac

– Right-click the email
– Choose Flag
– Select a flag colour

Flagged emails appear in a dedicated mailbox so nothing important gets lost.

Why It Works

Spending a few seconds marking an email when it arrives saves missed actions later. Once it becomes a habit, your inbox starts working for you instead of against you.