Native iOS Gmail app from Google rumored to arrive soon

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
After more than three years since Apple launched the App Store, Google is rumored to be on the verge of releasing a native iOS app for its Gmail service, according to a new report.



M.G. Siegler noted in a blog post late Monday that "multiple sources" have told him the launch of the application is imminent.



"I believe it has already been submitted to Apple for review. If it gets approved, it should be out soon," he wrote, adding that he believes it will get approved.



Siegler went on to note that tipsters have said the app looks "pretty fantastic?perhaps even surprisingly so." A key feature of the app is expected to be the addition of push notifications for the popular email service. Other likely feature additions include Priority Inbox and one-click starring of messages, according to him.



The author also speculated that upcoming Gmail features such as "contact icons, better threading, deep searching functionality," and even Google+ integration could make their way into the iOS application.



Despite the arrival of Apple's App Store in 2008, Google has preferred to use a Web interface for Gmail on iOS. Apple's native Mail app on iOS has included support for Gmail accounts for years, though it lacks a number of the features that Google offers via the Web app.



Numerous reasons have been put forth for the delay in a Gmail app. Originally, some suggested that Apple was blocking third-party mail apps to avoid confusion with its own Mail program. Google's tendency to favor Web apps for its services. More recently, friction between Apple and Google over the Android operating system has been cited as another cause of the delay.



According to a recently released biography, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs vowed to "destroy Android" after handset maker HTC released an Android smartphone that he felt stole his company's innovations.



"I don't want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won't want it. I've got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want," Jobs reportedly told Schmidt during a meeting in 2010.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 47
    jason98jason98 Posts: 768member
    I do not really care as I switched to @me.com.

    @gmail.com will serve as a spam box from now on.

    Hopefully, Apple's upcoming maps will also make Google's ones as useless as this native gmail app.
  • Reply 2 of 47
    NOOOO not this...GOOGLE IS EVIL!!!!!!!!



    or something like that.
  • Reply 3 of 47
    neosumneosum Posts: 113member
    I never had a problem using gmail through ios's native email app, setup as exchange using google active sync. I'm not really sure why anyone would need a separate app.



    Like some people, I too switched to an @me account.
  • Reply 4 of 47
    nairbnairb Posts: 253member
    Deleted - stupid dyslexic mistake
  • Reply 5 of 47
    bsenkabsenka Posts: 799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nairb View Post


    So if this report can be believed they are going to do all these things that google does.



    And Jobs wanted google to stop using Apples ideas. That?s a bit rich isn?t it?



    I read this article as Google making their own app. Where does it say Apple is involved in it?
  • Reply 6 of 47
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Gmail works fine as an exchange account set m.google.com as the server is about the only setting you have to add manually, pushes my inbox, which is like an archeological dig through seven years of spam, all day long.
  • Reply 7 of 47
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member
    Finally. GMail is bare bones in the extreme in the Apple mail app, and the GMail web app is too clunky to use.
  • Reply 8 of 47
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    1) Curious ow long Apple disallowed other mail app clients on the App Store. Are here others now? If so, how long have hey been there?



    2) Like others have stated, I've made the switch to my @me.com email over gmail as my primary despite having the Apple service sine iTools. My reason for the move is the deep integration with so many aspects of iOS 5.0. It just made things easier to switch. I wonder if this is a common trend that precipitated this new Gmail app now that iCloud and @me.com addresses are free.
  • Reply 9 of 47
    I moved to yahoo and .me, and I was really not comfortable with their scanning mails to show their ads, it was easy to move the older mails from gmail to yahoo in my iPad2. Now in the process of deleting the google account itself.
  • Reply 10 of 47
    Maps is the only Google presence left on my iPhone and I can't wait to get rid of that too. I just don't want their ads or profiling of me.



    I thought one of the App Store rules was to deny Apps that duplicated or attempted to replace the default Apple Apps. This App should not be approved. Apple should go thermonuclear on this.
  • Reply 11 of 47
    nairbnairb Posts: 253member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bsenka View Post


    I read this article as Google making their own app. Where does it say Apple is involved in it?



    It gets involved when I sometimes skim read and substitute words (dyslexic problem). I should know better.
  • Reply 12 of 47
    djrumpydjrumpy Posts: 1,116member
    Irrelevant at this point. Already switched to my 'me' account months ago, and have relegated the gmail account to my junk account.



    Dunno why folks had problems with the built in mail app as it served it's purpose when I used it, and now I no longer need it.



    Easy
  • Reply 13 of 47
    ajmasajmas Posts: 597member
    Gmail can also be used as an IMAP account, so I am a little curious as to what the real advantage of the app will be?
  • Reply 14 of 47
    for the people that have a problem with Google using your information to sell you ads, Facebook does exactly the same thing. Seems like Apple fans have an anti Google thing going on nowadays, dont really understand it.



    Anyway, the native app is really gimped if you are used to using gmail a lot. I DJ and i have certain filters set for music and things. Also starring is very useful. These are features that will never come to the IOS client. G



    mail is great because its based in the cloud. I have a Macbook and iPod touch, and they are both tied to as much Google services as possible. This is VERY welcome. Now lets get a real Google Reader client going!
  • Reply 15 of 47
    There are many reasons that a native GMail client is far preferred to Mail:



    Proper support for labels - Mail sees labels as folders. Labels are much more powerful than folders (if Apple implemented labels with iCloud I would seriously consider it but without labels never).



    Proper search through the body of all messages in all labels (folders) - Mail will only search the subject or sender/receiver.



    Push support - you can use Google Sync and Exchange but then you have to put up with not being able to delete messages in Mail only archive them. IMAP allows you to choose.



    If you pay for a Google Apps account (which I do) then you don't have to worry about the advertising.
  • Reply 16 of 47
    djrumpydjrumpy Posts: 1,116member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by blaquekyd View Post


    for the people that have a problem with Google using your information to sell you ads, Facebook does exactly the same thing. Seems like Apple fans have an anti Google thing going on nowadays, dont really understand it.



    Anyway, the native app is really gimped if you are used to using gmail a lot. I DJ and i have certain filters set for music and things. Also starring is very useful. These are features that will never come to the IOS client. G



    mail is great because its based in the cloud. I have a Macbook and iPod touch, and they are both tied to as much Google services as possible. This is VERY welcome. Now lets get a real Google Reader client going!



    I'm not sure why you think we would like Facebook selling our info while disliking that Google does it. Frankly I don't like either and Google was too pervasive. Now I have another option that is cloud friendly and more privacy friendly. I suspect most people who made the switch feel the same.



    To each his own.
  • Reply 17 of 47
    djrumpydjrumpy Posts: 1,116member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by alexapple View Post


    There are many reasons that a native GMail client is far preferred to Mail:

    search through the body of all messages in all labels (folders) - Mail will only search the subject or sender/receiver.



    Push support - you can use Google Sync and Exchange but then you have to put up with not being able to delete messages in Mail only archive them. IMAP allows you to choose.



    Mail supports body searching in iOS 5 as well. It also supports push although I dislike the battery drain for Push myself.
  • Reply 18 of 47
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJRumpy View Post


    Mail supports body searching in iOS 5 as well. It also supports push although I dislike the battery drain for Push myself.



    It doesn't search the body with GMail -> native GMail client will almost certainly.
  • Reply 19 of 47
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJRumpy View Post


    I'm not sure why you think we would like Facebook selling our info while disliking that Google does it. Frankly I don't like either and Google was too pervasive. Now I have another option that is cloud friendly and more privacy friendly. I suspect most people who made the switch feel the same.



    To each his own.



    .ME email is not really cloud friendly, as its confined to an Apple device. You are right, to each his own. But, people are being niave by thinking that not using Facebook or Gmail, prevents you from having your information sold. The hospital you are born in sells your information to a 3rd party. There is nothing wrong , IN MY OPINION, for a company to use the information, that I provide, to supply me with advertisements based on that.



    My point is that there seems to be an anti-Google stance, but i can almost guarantee you that there are users that bash Google, but use Facebook everyday. Apple operates iAd, which is exactly Googles model. They are not above this practice.



    Google Apps, actually prevents this from happening, with its paid model.
  • Reply 20 of 47
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    My same set up. I really like Apple's iCloud. Gmail is my spam box.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post


    I do not really care as I switched to @me.com.

    @gmail.com will serve as a spam box from now on.

    Hopefully, Apple's upcoming maps will also make Google's ones as useless as this native gmail app.



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