Google updates Gmail for iOS with widgets and privacy 'nutrition' label
After going months without an update, Google's Gmail app for iOS was refreshed on Monday with support for widgets. More importantly, the revision delivered long-awaited information regarding the app's collection of user data.
The latest version of Gmail integrates support for widgets in iOS 14, allowing users to quickly access recent mail directly from their home screen.
It has been nearly three months since Google last updated its email app, arguably one of its most important titles on iOS. The delay was thought to be in response to a recently adopted App Store feature that requires developers to provide insight into how their apps leverage user data.
Apple's app privacy labels that rolled out in December call on app makers to divulge what data is being collected by either itself or a third party, and how that information might be used. Similar to past App Store policies, apps are allowed to remain on the storefront without publishing the privacy labels, though the new rules go into effect when updates are submitted.
According to Google's release, Gmail collects and potentially links users to general information like search history, location, contact information, purchases, usage data and other metrics. The disclosure is rather staid in comparison to labels provided by other big tech names like Facebook.
Google was said to be skirting the rules by refusing to update its apps. The search giant refuted those claims in January, saying it planned to release updates with the requisite "nutrition" labels in a couple weeks. That timeline was apparently too optimistic, as major titles sat idle for months.
Earlier in February, Gmail was left sitting so long that Google's own servers pushed out a message warning users that the app did not include the company's most up-to-date safeguards. "You should update this app. The version you're using doesn't include the latest security features to keep you protected. Only continue if you understand this," the pop-up read. Google quickly removed the alert in a server-side change.
The latest version of Gmail integrates support for widgets in iOS 14, allowing users to quickly access recent mail directly from their home screen.
It has been nearly three months since Google last updated its email app, arguably one of its most important titles on iOS. The delay was thought to be in response to a recently adopted App Store feature that requires developers to provide insight into how their apps leverage user data.
Apple's app privacy labels that rolled out in December call on app makers to divulge what data is being collected by either itself or a third party, and how that information might be used. Similar to past App Store policies, apps are allowed to remain on the storefront without publishing the privacy labels, though the new rules go into effect when updates are submitted.
According to Google's release, Gmail collects and potentially links users to general information like search history, location, contact information, purchases, usage data and other metrics. The disclosure is rather staid in comparison to labels provided by other big tech names like Facebook.
Google was said to be skirting the rules by refusing to update its apps. The search giant refuted those claims in January, saying it planned to release updates with the requisite "nutrition" labels in a couple weeks. That timeline was apparently too optimistic, as major titles sat idle for months.
Earlier in February, Gmail was left sitting so long that Google's own servers pushed out a message warning users that the app did not include the company's most up-to-date safeguards. "You should update this app. The version you're using doesn't include the latest security features to keep you protected. Only continue if you understand this," the pop-up read. Google quickly removed the alert in a server-side change.
Comments
For reference, here’s what Apple Mail says:
Google offers more categories and surfacing your purchases for you, "Receipts", is one of them. It's a convenience for me at least, an easy way of locating records of purchases.
Data Linked to You:
Much simpler this way.
So technically then you (possibly) can't blame AI (directly) for this problem, if the ads being served are coming from other web servers.
For example Google's privacy policy lists "purchase activity", in a list of information which they "may" collect. A casual reader has no concept which app is collecting this information or with what detail. A person is likely to assume incorrectly that this just means purchase history on their Play Store, the reality is that it includes scanning your emails for every single transaction you've made online and building that into your personal profile, it also includes any website that utilises Google's services such as analytics.
Apple's privacy labels undo the effect of these unified privacy policies - since the developer isn't keen for every app to list an absurdly long list of privacy admissions, instead users get a clearer picture about what each individual app is truly collecting.
Since the web is filled with sites that utilise Google's services (either through ad placement, analytics, etc) Google is constantly keeping a profile of what you do on the web, where and when, even if you don't personally utilise any Google services - you are almost certainly interacting with someone who does - including this website.
Would that work for a site like Apple Insider? I can't say, but it's something to ponder.
No doubt! People have been advertising for centuries, but trackers are a relatively new thing, at least in the way it has been implemented and the extent of it. I think they'll also eventually discover that all that extra data isn't doing nearly as much for them as they think it is (in terms of ad effectiveness... I'm sure they can do a lot of *other* stuff with all that data, like sell it to 3-letter agencies that have gobs of money to spend).
Again, people (advertisers in this case) need to start to think outside the box, but I suppose that would take actual work. For example, I'd put a well-positioned ad-campaign or sponsorship on the right podcasts up against the best of anything from Facebook or Google. It would blow their performance away. But, the ad-exec would have to actually do real research into picking the right podcasts to do their ad-spend with.
Also, be sure to comb though your settings after this update. There are new 'Smart features and personalization' stuff you might want to disable. I also turned off that new 'Meet' functionality, which made it go away on the bottom bar (and the bar went away).