Google resolves Gmail inbox mix-up after spam filter failure

Many users noticed a sudden inbox mix-up on Saturday morning. Important emails appeared in the wrong tabs, while spam alerts flagged trusted senders. According to Google, the issue started around 5 a.m. Pacific time. As a result, email sorting systems behaved unpredictably for several hours.
Some people saw promotions and updates appear as priority messages. Others reported that spam flooded their main mail view instead. Users quickly shared complaints across social media platforms. Several described Gmail’s filters as broken or unreliable during the outage.

Google Confirms The Fix

Google updated its Workspace status dashboard throughout the day. However, engineers needed more time to fully resolve the issue. Later that evening, the company confirmed the problem was fixed. Therefore, normal email classification has now returned for all users. Google warned that older messages may still show incorrect labels. In addition, spam warnings from earlier emails could remain visible.
The company also promised a detailed incident report.

The Analysis Report

What caused the disruption and how Google responded.
The original report appeared on January 24, 2026. It was later updated after Google confirmed full restoration. For now, Gmail users can expect stable filtering again. As a result, confidence in email delivery should gradually return.