Google working on Gmail spam issue
Company says it's fixing problem that first surfaced midweek for a small percentage of users whose e-mail messages were resent multiple times.
Google is trying to fix a "spamming" issue that has affected about 2.5 percent of its Gmail user base, the company reported on its help forum.
Earlier this week, some Gmail users witnessed sent e-mails being automatically resent several times. Google first acknowledged the issue on its Gmail help forum on Wednesday.
"I know that there are a lot of reports and a lot of threads about people who have had their messages resent multiple times over the past few days," a Google employee using the handle "Shirley" wrote on the forum on Wednesday. "I'm sorry about the trouble this has caused, and our team is all hands on deck."
The company also acknowledged the issue on its Apps Status Dashboard on Wednesday night, saying that "certain messages sent by affected users are being resent multiple times."
Affected Gmail users weren't so quick to simply write off the problem. Some folks indicated on the forum that the issue was simply inexcusable.
"My company is on Google Apps and we having this issue big time," user WgtnDan wrote on the Gmail help forum. "It about to start costing us business. We can't afford to have our staff communicating with our clients in this manner."
Late on Thursday, Google announced that it had addressed the problem and users shouldn't be experiencing the issue any longer. The company didn't elaborate on the cause of the problem, but it was quick to apologize to users.
"The problem with Google Mail should be resolved," it wrote on the App Status Dashboard. "We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support."
The issue, however, might not be completely resolved. On Friday, users were still posting to the forums saying that their e-mails were being resent. In response, a Google employee said that the company is investigating the new complaints.
"It appears that this issue may have returned, which would obviously be frustrating," a Google employee who goes by the handle "MrEvan" wrote. "I don't have any details, but the engineers are investigating."
As of this writing, Gmail's status on the company's Apps Status Dashboard says, "no issues."
Google did not immediately respond to request for comment.