AppleInsider Staff
In a move that will only widen its foothold within Apple's iOS, Google on Monday rolled out an update to its Gmail app, one that ties together Google-provided apps and services on Apple's platform more so than ever before.
Version 2.2.7182 of Google's Gmail app for iOS contains a number of minor tweaks as well, but the major development in Monday's release is Google's tying together of its assorted iOS services. The Gmail app will now open YouTube, Google Maps, and web links in Google's YouTube, Maps, and Chrome apps if a user has those apps installed.
Users can, if they choose to, turn off this feature, but it serves to unify Google's services throughout iOS, effectively creating an ecosystem within Apple's ecosystem and ensuring the interoperability of Google services on the platform. The move circumvents some Apple regulations, namely the inability of third-party developers to have their apps set as the default handlers for certain tasks throughout iOS. That limitation hasn't kept Google's offerings from becoming popular, but the search giant no doubt would like to remove all barriers between its apps.
From YouTube to Gmail to Chrome, Google has continually pushed to grow mindshare for its services on iOS, in many cases developing more elegant apps for iOS than for its own Android platform. Many of those apps have debuted to immense popularity: Google Maps and YouTube among the App Store's top 25 downloaded apps of all time only months after their debut.
Similarly, Google's Chrome browser debuted to much interest, hitting the top spot among free iOS apps within 12 hours of its initial release. The inability to set Chrome as a default, though — along with Apple's restrictions on browser capabilities — limited Chrome's appeal after its debut, though it is the most popular non-Safari app on Apple's platform.
In August of last year, Google updated its Google+ app for iOS to open web links in its Chrome browser, and the Gmail update would appear to be a continuation of that trend. With the new update, Google has a video service, location service, social network, email service, and browser all linked together and likely to grow in interoperability.
The Gmail app for iOS is available as a free download from the App Store. The 12.1MB download is compatible with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads running iOS 5.0 or later.
Andrew Orr
Christine McKee
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36 Comments
Ha-ha. Just say NO to the masters of personal monitoring and intellectual property infringement.
I cant really blame them.
Wanting all of your application to work together and depend on each other sounds like a logical step forward to promote your company.
It is not like they are launching Chrome over Safari in some 3rd party app, it is only in their gmail app.
If yo are a fan of or use any of their apps this seems to be a nice way to have them all at your finger tips.
I myself no longer use any of Googles products including their search engine because of privacy issues.
Clever girl.
Smart move.
But to find Google apps on an iPhone you have to be really blind. Gmail instead of Mail and a new apple account (just forward your mails if it is needed)? Maps (debatable, but Apple is going to surpass it soon)? Chrome (kill yourself ASAP) instead of Safari on iOS?
I wonder if this is really why they stopped supporting the ability to push new emails using the default mail app. This way they and better herd users to their services and away from apple's