A more modern Gmail app for Android(gmailblog.blogspot.com)
gmailblog.blogspot.com
A more modern Gmail app for Android
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-more-modern-gmail-app-for-android.html
57 comments
I'm getting a little nervous that Google's apps are moving away from compact data presentation.
For me, the poor use of screen real estate was the showstopper for Inbox.
I realize I may have different tastes in which case I think the "Display Density" is an OK compromise (despite that the default is all that usually really matters).
For me, the poor use of screen real estate was the showstopper for Inbox.
I realize I may have different tastes in which case I think the "Display Density" is an OK compromise (despite that the default is all that usually really matters).
+1 for an updated Google finance app.
I still think, no matter what some of my friends say, it's better than yahoo finance. Although, I think it gets the market cap wrong with a few stocks.
I still think, no matter what some of my friends say, it's better than yahoo finance. Although, I think it gets the market cap wrong with a few stocks.
Meanwhile K9 is still the best mail client on Android, works fine with any IMAP mail host.
K9's interface is still awful.
Yeah, as far as I've managed to figure out, there are no good mail clients for Android, but k9 is the least bad.
I've found the one that works best for random IMAP e-mail account is CloudMagic.
Looks like they touch upon a few of the same interface ideas as I've been playing with (including using a smarter client-server protocol than IMAP) - but as I want to host my own mail, they're out (I can't host the cloud part on my own server(s)/cloud).
Specifically what do you dislike about it?
The things that are wrong with K-9's interface are similar to the things wrong with Calibre's interface: they're powerful and capable, but completely defy convention, host an enormous amount of complexity, and can't be fixed piecemeal.
Things I dislike:
- The empty K9mail-errors virtual folder that I can't hide.
- The completely nonsensical sorting of folders (alphabetical by Folder Display Class, but there's no visual distinction between display classes, just an arbitrary point where your folder alphabetization resets).
- The quadrumvirate of Folder Display Class, Folder Sync Class, Folder Push Class, and Folder Notification Class are completely inscrutable.
- Even if you understand the class system, setting them requires one long press and 9 clicks per folder.
- I have to reach all the way to the top left of my phone to go from my inbox back to the list of folders, instead of following the common UI pattern of allowing me to pull in the folder list with an edge swipe. Tapping the top left is becoming more difficult with each increase in display size.
- I can't reliably refresh the folder list from my server, especially when it comes to special folder labels (Sent / Drafts / Spam / Trash / Archive)
So, it's mostly that the UI is pretty bad. Not unusably so, mind you, but neither is Emacs. The catch is, I just don't understand what benefit I'm getting from struggling with that interface.
And the issues are pretty endemic to the data model that K9 is built upon. To fix this, you'd need to completely re-think the interface and throw out the entire class system, which would raise another round of questions regarding how to handle selective mailbox synchronization, etc.
Things I dislike:
- The empty K9mail-errors virtual folder that I can't hide.
- The completely nonsensical sorting of folders (alphabetical by Folder Display Class, but there's no visual distinction between display classes, just an arbitrary point where your folder alphabetization resets).
- The quadrumvirate of Folder Display Class, Folder Sync Class, Folder Push Class, and Folder Notification Class are completely inscrutable.
- Even if you understand the class system, setting them requires one long press and 9 clicks per folder.
- I have to reach all the way to the top left of my phone to go from my inbox back to the list of folders, instead of following the common UI pattern of allowing me to pull in the folder list with an edge swipe. Tapping the top left is becoming more difficult with each increase in display size.
- I can't reliably refresh the folder list from my server, especially when it comes to special folder labels (Sent / Drafts / Spam / Trash / Archive)
So, it's mostly that the UI is pretty bad. Not unusably so, mind you, but neither is Emacs. The catch is, I just don't understand what benefit I'm getting from struggling with that interface.
And the issues are pretty endemic to the data model that K9 is built upon. To fix this, you'd need to completely re-think the interface and throw out the entire class system, which would raise another round of questions regarding how to handle selective mailbox synchronization, etc.
It's nice. I just hope the email monetization features -- Social, Promos, Purchase Intent, Ads, Buy Stuff Now -- aren't as prominent as in Inbox.
Of course, they used to let us disable them (in the desktop site). Now they're a key feature. That's progress, I guess.
Of course, they used to let us disable them (in the desktop site). Now they're a key feature. That's progress, I guess.
Of course, they used to let us disable them (in the desktop site). Now they're a key feature. That's progress, I guess.
They are not mandatory in the new Gmail app. I have been using a build of 5.0 for the last few days, and it provides a normal inbox as all previous versions.
They are not mandatory in the new Gmail app. I have been using a build of 5.0 for the last few days, and it provides a normal inbox as all previous versions.
I recently moved away from Gmail because of the lack of push (via EAS) on non-Android devices. When Apple (iCloud) and MS (Outlook.com) offer push via EAS it annoys me Google killed it off unless you pay.
Interestingly moving away from Gmail took me totally out of the Google world. I just switched to an iPhone from a Nexus 5 as the Nexus 6 was just too big and I have very happy using no Google account/services (outside of search).
I wanted to try Inbox and got an invite on day 1 but have not bothered to try it yet as it would mean using Gmail again.
Google bring back free EAS please!
Also it always annoyed me how on Android they have two email apps, one for Gmail and one for other Email. Crappy experience really. The Gmail app should support other providers. I know it is coming soon but it should have from day one to be honest.
Interestingly moving away from Gmail took me totally out of the Google world. I just switched to an iPhone from a Nexus 5 as the Nexus 6 was just too big and I have very happy using no Google account/services (outside of search).
I wanted to try Inbox and got an invite on day 1 but have not bothered to try it yet as it would mean using Gmail again.
Google bring back free EAS please!
Also it always annoyed me how on Android they have two email apps, one for Gmail and one for other Email. Crappy experience really. The Gmail app should support other providers. I know it is coming soon but it should have from day one to be honest.
Doesn't the Gmail app on iOS use a push-system for delivery? Why would you want to use EAS for Gmail? Seems reasonably (and positively Apple-like) for Google to push people into the Gmail app where they control the experience and can surface first-party Gmail paradigms more readily.
Admittedly I'm an Android user with limit experience with stock iOS mail app. Is the iOS mail app really that much better than the Gmail app?
Admittedly I'm an Android user with limit experience with stock iOS mail app. Is the iOS mail app really that much better than the Gmail app?
Gmail.app for iOS is incredibly sluggish (on my 5S) while Android's version on my Moto G is pretty snappy, so you're not experiencing the same thing at all.
I run both Mail.app and Gmail.app on my iPhone because I'll often get the push notification for Gmail.app, tap the notification to open the email, get frustrated and tired waiting for it to load and just go manually refresh Mail.app and see it almost instantly.
I run both Mail.app and Gmail.app on my iPhone because I'll often get the push notification for Gmail.app, tap the notification to open the email, get frustrated and tired waiting for it to load and just go manually refresh Mail.app and see it almost instantly.
The Gmail app has always felt like a web app and I much prefer Mail.app
Yes, it is that much better IMHO.
Lockscreen actions & swipe-down notification actions = holy grail for email triage. Only the built-in mail client has it.
Lockscreen actions & swipe-down notification actions = holy grail for email triage. Only the built-in mail client has it.
...one of the major features of this announcement is support for third-party e-mail providers.
Gmail on iOS works completely fine.
I don't understand why Google is pushing two different email clients as the 'main' email clients for users of its phones.
At the moment, they provide two very different views of email. Actually I guess you could say the old GMail client offers two different views itself, since it has both standard and priority inbox.
It's not clear that Inbox is the right way to look at email for the majority of users, and I'm saying that as a user/tester. I've had to drop back to the regular GMail app do do things a couple of times and Inbox has crashed twice on me.
Note that the GMail client did take on some of the look and feel such as the (+) widget on the bottom right.
It's not clear that Inbox is the right way to look at email for the majority of users, and I'm saying that as a user/tester. I've had to drop back to the regular GMail app do do things a couple of times and Inbox has crashed twice on me.
Note that the GMail client did take on some of the look and feel such as the (+) widget on the bottom right.
The widget is the 'floating action button' in Material Design parlance. You're suppose to use it in screens which have a clear 'primary' purpose. In pretty much any email application, that'd be a compose email button from an inbox (or similar) view. So I guess in that particular case, it's not so much GMail taking from Inbox, so much as both of them are showcase material design apps, and Inbox just got released 'first'.
I love it, and really hope they continue to maintain both. Inbox works great for my personal email where each message actually corresponds to a task I need yo complete, gmail is a great workflow for my publicly visible work email where its more just a stream of messages, some of which need to be dealt with and others are just record keeping.
Inbox is for people who don't have a workflow / need help organizing their workflow. The app looks neat, but I already have my own workflow and it doesn't fit in it so that app is not for me.
Inbox was sorta neat in the beginning but I quickly went back to Gmail. It actually doesn't seem all that different from Gmail's tabs.
I didn't really get it until I started managing emails in mass(or bundles if you want to use googles terms). I get a lot of email that isn't spam that I know at a glance if I need to read it or not. With Inbox I can really quickly archive a huge group of emails that I don't need.
I have also used the pin and reminder feature a few times. I still think it's a weird thing to include with email, but it was helpful.
I have also used the pin and reminder feature a few times. I still think it's a weird thing to include with email, but it was helpful.
I would have totally jumped to Inbox but it seems there is no way to mark an email as 'read' without having to actually open it. It's kind of flabbergasting and seems very limiting to me.
It definitely feels like a bit push for 'lock in' (not that gmail really needs that...).
If I am wrong, someone please tell me how to do so from a list view.
It definitely feels like a bit push for 'lock in' (not that gmail really needs that...).
If I am wrong, someone please tell me how to do so from a list view.
Also, from what I hear (I'm not allowed to use it yet), Inbox doesn't let you use labels like labels (multiple labels per message etc), but tries to enforce a "folder-like" view...
[A horrible mistake if it's true... Labels are a significant advantage of gmail over many other email clients.]
[A horrible mistake if it's true... Labels are a significant advantage of gmail over many other email clients.]
Can't an email be in multiple clusters?
Seems like it's intentionally left out to 'gently encourage' the user to immediately take action with a pin, snooze, or done.
Ok, that's fine, but I have existing gmail filters that send 'promotions', automated emails, etc... far & away from the inbox. What's the plan with those?
Sometimes I like to peruse the ones that I've not yet acknowledge receipt of and either j/k + x to select the ones I want to dismiss outright, which I can still do in Inbox, and then shift-i/click mark as read to mark em my equivalent of 'done'...
The actions presented in Inbox will leave the 'unread' business to ever grow and clutter any IMAP connected application and searches like is:unread.
Edit: Maybe the more troubling aspect of the removal of the 'unread' handling is that these emails will certainly go unseen/missed which is bad.
Sometimes I like to peruse the ones that I've not yet acknowledge receipt of and either j/k + x to select the ones I want to dismiss outright, which I can still do in Inbox, and then shift-i/click mark as read to mark em my equivalent of 'done'...
The actions presented in Inbox will leave the 'unread' business to ever grow and clutter any IMAP connected application and searches like is:unread.
Edit: Maybe the more troubling aspect of the removal of the 'unread' handling is that these emails will certainly go unseen/missed which is bad.
[deleted]
If I use the IMAP feature, do all my non-gmail emails get sent to Google?
I was worried about this as well, and there seems to be no clear answer anywhere about this, but it appears not to work like the POP/IMAP fetching in Gmail.
When I added my non-Gmail account to the app, I only saw traffic direct to the IMAP server, and nothing to Google servers.
When I added my non-Gmail account to the app, I only saw traffic direct to the IMAP server, and nothing to Google servers.
I would assume the answer to that question is "no", because for an IMAP client there is no reason or need to send a copy of your emails or even the metadata to Google, and the shame and suspicion such a move would cause if they were caught doing it would be nontrivial. Not to mention, checking for it is not that hard.
One way to test this though would be to setup outbound filtering (see my previous commments), and to use the always-on VPN functionality on your phone to shunt your traffic through said filter. This would allow you to see if any of your emails are being exfiltrated without your knowledge.
I haven't tested this yet myself.
One way to test this though would be to setup outbound filtering (see my previous commments), and to use the always-on VPN functionality on your phone to shunt your traffic through said filter. This would allow you to see if any of your emails are being exfiltrated without your knowledge.
I haven't tested this yet myself.
It looks good but with the beta availability of InBox, I am not sure if I will even try the new Gmail UI.
InBox is very nice, BTW. The web client is OK on my laptop, the iPad InBox app is nice to use, and for me the Android InBox app is such a hugely better experience than Gmail.
InBox is very nice, BTW. The web client is OK on my laptop, the iPad InBox app is nice to use, and for me the Android InBox app is such a hugely better experience than Gmail.
So many horizontal bars. I wish that the top two bars could be unified and shortened.
The bottom bar for only three androids buttons is a huge waste, but they've painted themselves in a corner, there.
The bottom bar for only three androids buttons is a huge waste, but they've painted themselves in a corner, there.
Can you turn off conversation view yet?
Conversation view is the single worst software feature ever developed for any piece of software ever made.
Boy I wish I could turn it off in the android gmail client.
Conversation view is the single worst software feature ever developed for any piece of software ever made.
Boy I wish I could turn it off in the android gmail client.
What do you not like about conversation view? As someone that's spent most of his email life with it, I'm kinda curious of the other side.
I wasn't the person that made the claim - but since I feel the same way (well, maybe not quite as strongly!)... I find I often lose track of earlier messages in a thread that I haven't yet responded to, because I reply to some other message from someone else who replied later. I also find that other people make the same mistake and as a result fail to reply to my emails to them sometimes.
I find emails much easier to deal with when the actual emails are in the list, rather than the conversations - although when displaying the message there's no reason not to show it in the context of the conversation.
I find emails much easier to deal with when the actual emails are in the list, rather than the conversations - although when displaying the message there's no reason not to show it in the context of the conversation.
He/she is clearly trolling. Saying that a popular feature is "the single worst software feature ever developed for any piece of software ever made" is meant to illicit strong emotions, not conversation.
I find conversation view confusing because a) it often compresses individual emails which then get lost b) it conflates emails which clearly do not belong to the same conversation. The former regularly causes colleagues to miss important email. The latter is common with automated mail.
I always turn it off, but I think conversation view might be worth it with the following changes:
1. When viewing a conversation, always expand all email and cut quoted text from each email. The fact that quoted text is shown which duplicates email in the same conversation makes for a horrible mess.
2. Use the proper headers (Message-ID, IIRC) to determine which emails belong to the same conversation, rather than the current fuzzy-logic based on the subject and current phase of the moon. At the very least, implement this logic: two separate emails, neither of which are a reply to another email, do NOT belong to the same conversation.
I always turn it off, but I think conversation view might be worth it with the following changes:
1. When viewing a conversation, always expand all email and cut quoted text from each email. The fact that quoted text is shown which duplicates email in the same conversation makes for a horrible mess.
2. Use the proper headers (Message-ID, IIRC) to determine which emails belong to the same conversation, rather than the current fuzzy-logic based on the subject and current phase of the moon. At the very least, implement this logic: two separate emails, neither of which are a reply to another email, do NOT belong to the same conversation.
Conversation view works fine for some types of conversations. For mailing lists, a threaded view is often handier.
https://joeyh.name/blog/entry/thread_patterns/
https://joeyh.name/blog/entry/thread_patterns/
Can anyone confirm or deny that this new Gmail supports media queries / displays mobile emails?
How can I get it? On the playstore it doesn't let me update it. Is it only for newer devices?
Like most Google apps, it's a staged rollout so you won't see it yet. It runs on at least Android 4.0+.
You can download and install the latest version from here if you don't want to wait: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/gmail/gmail-5-0-1556...
You can download and install the latest version from here if you don't want to wait: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/gmail/gmail-5-0-1556...
Answering my own question..
Will be available on the playstore in a few days. But can download it from Android Police here: http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/31/gmail-5-0-exchange-s...
Will be available on the playstore in a few days. But can download it from Android Police here: http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/31/gmail-5-0-exchange-s...
Will I be able to turn conversation threading off?
why is there two apps gmail and inbox for email both developed by google?
> why is there two apps gmail and inbox for email both developed by google?
Because one of the whole points of having service-based software is that you can present different UIs on top of it for different audiences with the same backend, and this is a realization of that ability.
Because Inbox is a fairly radical change with a strongly-opinionated workflow, while Gmail is -- while still advancing -- a relatively conservative, traditional email client. Having separate apps means people who are happy with the basic Gmail app and fairly conservative (in terms of workflow) improvements it gets are free to stick with it and not abandoned, while those who have (the frequently cited) problems with classic email that Inbox is designed to address can move to it and not be held back by the traditional design of email clients.
Because one of the whole points of having service-based software is that you can present different UIs on top of it for different audiences with the same backend, and this is a realization of that ability.
Because Inbox is a fairly radical change with a strongly-opinionated workflow, while Gmail is -- while still advancing -- a relatively conservative, traditional email client. Having separate apps means people who are happy with the basic Gmail app and fairly conservative (in terms of workflow) improvements it gets are free to stick with it and not abandoned, while those who have (the frequently cited) problems with classic email that Inbox is designed to address can move to it and not be held back by the traditional design of email clients.
sounds reasonable, btw remind me of wave. Having used both, I fell back onto gmail, as I still like the ordering of each individual email displayed in front of me, instead of encapsulating them into categorizes which I need to expand one by one to find the ones I am interested in.
Meh, come back to me when you have some decent support for security. Like an easy PGP implementation
Looks like firefox-os email app on firefox phone
I'm happy about these recent app developments but all I really want for Christmas is a marginally newer Google Finance. It's been like ten years. The webapp still uses Flash.