Gmail Notifications Gone Haywire? Google Confirms Major Bug

Google has officially acknowledged a widespread issue affecting the Gmail app, where users are bombarded with unexpected notifications from promotional and spam emails that should be filtered out. Numerous complaints have surfaced on Reddit, X, and Google Forums, with many reporting that these messages are landing directly in the inbox instead of the spam folder.

A particularly concerning symptom involves a prominent warning banner appearing on emails: “Be careful with this message. Gmail hasn’t scanned this message for spam, unverified senders, or harmful software.” This indicates that certain incoming messages are bypassing Google’s standard spam and security checks entirely, potentially exposing users to risky content.

The problem was first noted by users and later verified across platforms. On January 24, Google added the issue to its Google Workspace Status dashboard, stating that its engineering team is actively investigating. The company advised users to exercise extra caution with any suspicious notifications or unscanned emails while the fix is in progress.

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By January 25, Google provided an update confirming additional disruptions, including misclassification of emails in the inbox and noticeable delays in message delivery. Some users experienced late arrival of time-sensitive one-time password (OTP) emails from services like Discord and Steam, though Google later declared that specific delay issue resolved.

While the OTP delay has reportedly been fixed, the core problems—spam notifications, bypassed filters, and missing scans—remain under investigation. Google has promised a full incident analysis once resolved and urged patience. In the meantime, users are recommended to double-check unexpected messages and avoid interacting with potentially harmful content until the glitches are fully addressed.

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