Do-Over: Google Gives Gmail App For iOS Another Go
Google originally launched thelong-awaited Gmail app for the Apple iPhone and iPad on November. But within two hours, Google pulled the app from the Apple iTunes App Store because Google said "it contained a bug which broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app."
Google re-released the app this week.
"We've fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store," Matthew Izatt, Google product manager, wrote in a blog post announcing the Gmail app for iOS's return.
The Google Gmail app for iOS puts Gmail on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The Gmail app lets users receive notification badges for new messages; read mail with treaded conversations; organize mail by archiving, labeling, starring, deleting and reporting spam; keep track of messages with priority inbox; auto-complete contact names; send and receive attachments; and search through all mail. The Gmail app for iOS is available for devices that run iOS 4 or higher.
Users who downloaded the original app before Google was able to remove the App Store need to uninstall or log out of the old app before installing the new one, Google said.
Izatt said Google has taken feedback on the app and is working on user feature requests like multiple account support and customizations like improved notifications and mobile-specific signatures.
"We're just getting started with the Gmail app for iOS and will be iterating rapidly to bring you more features, including all the ones listed above plus many more," Izatt wrote. "Based on your comments we have already improved our handling of image HTML messages -- they are now sized to fit to the screen and you can pinch to zoom in."
Google re-doing the Gmail app for iOS comes on the heels of Google saying it will kill the Gmail app for BlackBerry devices come November 22. Google said ending support for the BlackBerry Gmail app is a move to push users to Gmail on their mobile browsers, though an iOS app does the exact opposite.
"Over this past year, we've focused efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser and will continue investing in this area," Google said.