Google has updated its Gmail and Calendar applications for iOS. These two applications are vital parts of Google’s cloud-based services. The updated Gmail app for iPhone and iPad introduces a redesigned user interface alongside a few features from Gmail on the web that it says were highly requested. The new design is notably similar to the Gmail app available on Android devices.
Among the new features, the updated Gmail app now brings over the “Undo Send” feature from Gmail on the web, which delays sending emails for a set number of seconds to allow users the option to “undo sending” after tapping send. The Undo Send feature on the web can be set to a 5, 10, 20 or 30 second delay, but it appears to be using a set 5 seconds for the mobile app.
Also new for the refreshed app is the improved search functionality which includes instant results and spelling suggestions, and Google notes the ability to easily Swipe to archive or delete depending on your preference (which is now a single action rather than a swipe revealing a button). The design of the updated app makes the iPhone and iPad versions fit in with Google’s design for Gmail on Android devices, and overall feels much faster than the previous version.
Google Calendar: New shiny Features
The Calendar app on iOS has some shiny, new features:
- Month view and week in landscape view, so you have even more ways to see your schedule at a glance.
- Spotlight Search support, so you can search for events, Reminders and Goals in Apple’s Spotlight Search and find what you’re looking for faster.
- Alternate calendars. If you often look up dates in a non-Gregorian calendar — like Lunar, Islamic, or Hindu — you can now add that calendar to easily see those dates alongside your current calendar.
Elie Chahine 