Google has released a rather significant update for the Gmail app for the iOS platform, which brings in a host of improvements and features. The app is now in Version 2.1, and brings in the swipe gesture capability that lets you swipe right and left to move between messages and conversations. This negates the need to have to individually close messages and return to the inbox before selecting another message.
“With today’s update to the Gmail app for iPhone and iPad, you can save even more time when you email on the go. Version 2.1 lets you swipe left or right to move between conversations on the iPhone without needing to return to the inbox. You’ll be burning through those unread messages in a flash!” said John Barr, Software Engineer, in a blog post announcing the update.
Apart from the swipe gestures, the new Gmail app now supports up to 5 email accounts, as against three that the pre-update version supported. There is the new Action Bar, that lets you select multiple messages and archive, delete, mark as unread, or report as spam. The search bar now allows for wider compatibility with search terms. But for most users, the most critical update would be the ability to attach multiple items to the mail, as against the individual selection in the previous version.
We believe that the update is a rather critical one, considering Apple has been rather active in updating the Gmail for iOS app this year, something they had not done in a big way for the last couple of years. The swipe features may seem like a gimmick, but will present immense time saving and less cursing. On slower mobile data connections, this will be a boon. For the power users, the Action Bar will be a big feature, and so is the ability to select multiple items as attachments.
The Gmail version 2.1 for iOS is available for download via the App Store.
Source: Gmail Team