Filed under: Apple Corporate, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store
Apple approved Gmail app for iPhone. Has hell frozen over?
TechCrunch is reporting today that an iPhone App that utilizes the Apple Push Notification system to let you know you have new Gmail is about to hit the app store. The app, called GPush, is developed by Tiverias Apps, and gives Gmail users an instant notification that new mail has arrived. iPhone users will still have to read their mail, either in a browser or the Apple Mail client, but the notifications will be essentially instant.It's an interesting development, given how badly other Google-related apps have fared of late on the iPhone. The developers of the app say it has been sitting unapproved for a month, and they are wondering about the timing of it suddenly being blessed.
Of course this app was not likely to get AT&T all hot and bothered, so it is not a perfect test of a seismic shift in the attitudes around Apple, but any change in the way the App Store works will be interesting to watch.
GPush will be US$0.99 for a week, then will be sold for $1.99 after.
via: TechCrunch
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
joe said 2:17PM on 8-10-2009
sounds interesting but i think i'll just wait for google to implement it natively - i'm a little apprehensive of passing off my google credentials to someone other than google...
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Aqua Victorian said 8:19PM on 8-10-2009
Google passes your Google credentials to people other than Google.
Joe said 8:22PM on 8-10-2009
Can you give me some examples? Thanks.
adam said 2:32PM on 8-10-2009
From their site:
"GPush made it to the App Store, we are aware of a server issue & we temporarily pulled the App off the store while we work on the servers"
It would've been cool if you had given us a heads up about this issue! I was stoked to download this app but it's not available.
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Chris said 2:19PM on 8-10-2009
There are already other gmail apps in the appstore. They all seem to basically be the mobile website with a few added features but those are more surprising than this app.
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tanguy said 2:21PM on 8-10-2009
I wrote a great gmail app that pulls up gmails web interface and does push notification. (i love it and use it every day and a handful of my friends do as well)
i asked google for clarification on the legality of doing this.
it is against their terms of service for anybody to do this is what i was told. They didnt go into details but i belive having a third party log into your gmail account with your username and password is not allowed as it states that checking your gmail account is only allowed to be done by the user or some bs like that.
(i also did a similar greader app)
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wrs589 said 2:38PM on 8-10-2009
Release it to jealbreakers
Allen said 3:21PM on 8-10-2009
Yeah. Make it available for the Jailbroken phones. Also the Greader one!
Joshua Ochs said 5:54PM on 8-10-2009
Google Reader support is imminently coming to the excellent NetNewsWire. Huzzah!
DLNA? said 6:28PM on 8-10-2009
anyway you could share you app with me?
darrell said 10:45PM on 8-10-2009
so this might be another netshare situation?
Heimbachae said 2:24PM on 8-10-2009
Maybe i'm not reading (and i really was just skimming) but doesn't Mail already do this? Maybe it's not CRAZY BEFORE THE PERSON SENT IT IT KNOWS IT'S ALREADY THERE instant, but I've sat next to my phone and it's pretty darn spot on.
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Adam said 2:32PM on 8-10-2009
The iPhone's built-in Mail app does not support push for Gmail. It does support push for Yahoo Mail and Exchange mail. You will only be notified of new Gmail at the polling interval that you specify in the Mail app's settings (the shortest interval is every 15 minutes).
HDDoobie said 4:54PM on 8-10-2009
They have a Fetch schedule setup for Gmail. It will go and check at whatever time increment you set it at: 1 hour, 15, min, 30 min, or just manually. FOR ME that's fine. Push Notification just drains you battery quicker.
Like Adam said they have Push Notification for others like Yahoo Mail and Exchange, plus "MobileMe" account mail but the shortest interval of checking is 15 minutes.
But if you click on your mail program it will also check for new mail when load up the program also. For getting mail I don't know people would need it any quicker than every 15 minutes. If it would be checking every 5 or 10 minutes that would drain you battery really, really quick. I just have my check every hour or so, or I check it manually if needed.
Kevin said 6:02PM on 8-10-2009
Actually, push drains your battery less than polling. All of the work is done by THEIR servers. Whenever a new email arrives, you're phone is alerted... as opposed to having your phone poll every 15 minutes, regardless of whether there is new mail or not.
Mystic said 2:28PM on 8-10-2009
Ugh, lame! Just build push mail into Gmail already!!
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emil said 2:30PM on 8-10-2009
I wish the iPhone would just support IMAP-IDLE already.
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Arnan de Gans said 2:36PM on 8-10-2009
Dumbest app to have been approved after the fart apps.
Why not just setup the Mail app with Gmail IMAP and use the native push notifications instead? WHy clutter your springboad with an icon that isn't even a real app...
Blah!
Reply
Josh said 2:40PM on 8-10-2009
maybe because the native mail app doesn't support push for gmail??
Ryan Trevisol said 4:42PM on 8-10-2009
Yes, it supports IMAP, but not IMAP-IDLE. IMAP-IDLE (one of several "push" email schemes) is the only one currently supported by Google. It requires a persistent connection on the receiving end, which wouldn't be conducive to battery life on an iPhone. Yes, Google made it work in Android but that's their system.
I, for one, will GLADLY fork over a dollar to have REAL push GMail notifications. As it is, I bought Prowl and push my GMails to myself via Growl, but that only works when my screensaver is off. Which isn't much during the workday.
Interestingly, I recently freed myself from MobileMe's calendar by setting up Google Calendar on my iPhone. And the way you set that up for push is with an Exchange account. Why Google doesn't enable Exchange for Gmail is beyond me.