Just in time for the holidays, Gmail is launching a new feature for tracking packages, which it said beats the current practice of digging through emails and clicking a series of links to see your order's delivery status. 

In the coming weeks, the email platform will begin allowing users to opt-in to receive delivery updates. Gmail will then automatically discover tracking numbers in your inbox and provide an alert whenever there is a change in status. 

The alerts will also contain crucial information right under the subject line, so users don't have to actually click on the email to see information such as  "Shipped," "Arriving tomorrow," or "Delivered today."

Tracking numbers from most major U.S. shipping carriers will work, said Google.  

"There's a lot to keep track of during the holidays," Google wrote in a blog post. "But with these new features, and even more to come in Gmail, we hope to cross at least one of those to-do's off your list — so you can spend less time waiting by the door and more time celebrating with your loved ones." 

The feature places Gmail in competition with a number of third-party apps that provide a similar service. Route, for example, is an app that tracks packages from carriers such as Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL. OneTracker is another, while Parcels tracks cross-border deliveries.