After nearly four years of “minor updates and bug fixes”, Google has finally launched a completely redesigned Gmail for iOS.
Just so we’re on the same page, I would like to emphasise that even without the updates, the Gmail app was nearly perfect. It was super reliable and allowed you to do most things you wanted to do with ease.
However, Google has decided that mediocrity cannot be tolerated any longer and has updated the app by leaps and bounds. Well, you don’t see us complaining!
Here’s a quick round-up of what’s new and awesome
- Undo Send : This feature was previously available only on the desktop, and it’s great that Google has thought of including it in the mobile version as well. Because let’s be honest, in the hundreds of emails we send every day, there’s always that one that goes horribly wrong! Google now gives you an option to right your wrongs, on the fly!
- Swipe Gestures: You can now swipe any message in the inbox to either delete/archive it (depending on the setting). While it’s a good feature to have, we have to admit feeling a tad bit let down because it’s not nearly as robust as other premier email clients. Apple’s own Mail app has a much more enhanced swipe feature support.
- Revamped “Search”:
The search feature has received the biggest update. Google’s famed “search prediction” comes to the Gmail app as well. The search bar also ties in intelligently with your Google search history from both the iOS and desktop.
Google is also able to recognise minor typing errors (or “thumb spills”) and able to show “Did you mean” suggestions. Overall, the classic Google feel, ingrained deep into the Android counterpart, has finally come to iOS as well.
Other updates
Apart from Gmail, Google also updated the Calendar App for iOS. According to MacWorld, the newer version of the app “now includes support for weekly landscape view, Spotlight search, and alternate calendars [like Lunar, Islamic, or Hindu]. Searching for events and reminders in Spotlight will now surface relevant results from Google Calendar.”
Google is slowly but steadily amping up its game in the iOS ecosystem. Apple should be looking to do the same in Android, because right now, only Apple Music seems to be fighting a lone battle on the Google Play Store. More than anything, we love to see Apple open up its doors to Android developers because, as we know very well, coders work best when left free and wild!