Google has just pulled its Gmail iOS app from the App Store, only a couple hours after it first released it. Indeed, the bugged app we were given to see was apparently the “wrong version,” and apologies ensued. While we expect a fixed version of the app to show up in the App Store very shortly, here are five features we’d love to see in the update:
1. Stability
The next version of Gmail’s iOS app should be much more stable than the disappointing version Google just pulled from the App Store. This is an obvious one – and perhaps the only item on this list that we can hope to get soon. After all, the lack of push notifications is what led Google to remove the app in the first place. Let’s hope Google engineers will also get rid of the other bugs and crashes, including the initial error message which greeted us as soon as we opened the app.
2. A faster interface
A web-based version may have been Google’s only option to work around Apple’s policy of rejecting apps that duplicate the functions of its own. Yet, it could also be the culprit for its app’s frustrating sluggishness. Indeed, some people pointed out that although Gmail’s app uses web view, it’s wrapped in a native wrapper – effectively giving us the worst of both worlds.
3. Multiple accounts
One feature the app is crying for is the capacity to handle the multiple Gmail accounts that many power users manage daily. The need for this feature may even be higher on a tablet than in the desktop version, since tablets are more often shared by a whole family than a PC. Yet, Google hasn’t included its multiple sign-in feature in its app and we hope it will be included in an update.
4. Filters
“FILTERS. FILTERS. FILTERS.” That’s what Robert Scoble is asking for in a Google+ post about the app, and we couldn’t agree more: why couldn’t we use filters from our phone or tablet? More generally, our feeling is that Gmail didn’t need to dumb down its app so much. If it wants users to bother having one more app, it will have to provide them with a full version of Gmail, including all the features they’re used to.
5. Integration with Google+ notifications
Google updated its Google+ app for iOS yesterday, and it would be great to see a better integration between both apps. The possibilities are plenty. Receiving a G+ notification in our email, for instance, could take us directly to G+ app. Notifications could also be displayed within Gmail’s app. It’s something only Google can do, and this could be an interesting differential from Apple’s Mail app.
Which features would you like to see in Gmail’s iOS app? Let us know in the comments.
Liked this? You may also want to read our previous posts on Gmail’s iOS app:
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