Gmail bug blocks Android users from purging spam and trash folders

(Image credit: Anadolu Agency / Contributor)

Android users may be dying to purge their Gmail of spam and other unwanted rubbish, but a new bug is preventing users from trashing their inbox of digital waste, Android Police reported (via Android Central).

Prior to the bug, Gmail users were granted the convenient option of clearing their spam folders -- embodied as an "Empty spam now" link --  with just one easy-breezy click.

Android Central reports that the trash folder is in far worse shape than the spam folder. While users can manually select individual emails in the spam folder and click delete, the unwanted items end up in the trash folder. And at the moment, there are reports that some cannot purge their trash folder at all.

Don't worry, though. You won't be swamped with Nigerian prince emails for too long. Google is aware of the problem and engineers are working to flick off the bothersome bug.

In the meantime, helpful posters on a Gmail Help thread are offering affected users with a workaround solution:

"Turn phone to landscape mode and it shows up. It's not the end of the world. It still works you just got to spin your phone a little bit," Bill Hughes 964 wrote.

Links to empty your trash and spam folders still exist for Gmail's desktop version. So if all else fails, fire up Chrome.

Kimberly Gedeon

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!