New releases from Google update Gmail on both Android and iOS, but while the Android version gets a few new features, Apple users get a whole redesign.
Gmail users on iOS have had to get by with the built-in Mail app or a third-party one like Sparrow, since Google's own app, released about a year ago, was not very well-received. Consequently, the company took most of 2012 to work on the app and release a new version that addresses the shortcomings, and it hits the app store today.
It has a new look and feel, for one thing, very clean and attractive. The search box predicts and autocompletes your input, like the one in the web app, and you can also respond to calendar items from within mails.
Perhaps most importantly for many users, the app supports multiple Google accounts. So you can share the app with a family member, or switch between work and personal mail.
There were some hiccups getting the app live, and it was briefly pulled from the App Store, but it's now available to download for free.
As for Android, a minor upgrade yesterday brought automatic resizing of messages and the ability to swipe a message to the side to archive it. Android users will have received a notification regarding the update.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
