Gmail - Email by Google 4+

App goes back to Inbox too fast

ETA: I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the app, as well as updating the iOS to 15.3.1. So far everything is working the way it should, so I’ve changed my rating from 2 ⭐️ to 5⭐️.
The blue line showing which email I last interacted with is a nice touch. I only have one comment now: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Sometimes new features “for better efficiency” actually take more steps than the functionality they’re replacing. I’ll send a note to the product team: I don’t want to use Meet. I wish I could turn that option off in settings so I don’t bump it accidentally at the bottom of the screen. 😑
Original review:
I use a lot of labels, and when I click on a link in an email that’s not in the inbox, which takes me to a browser page, if I don’t return to gmail within about 30 seconds, when I do return it takes me back to the inbox instead of back to the label/folder I was in previously. Also, lately about half the time I open the app, the hamburger menu is missing and I have to take it out of multitasking and reopen it to fix that. I love the fact that I can add multiple labels and they are the right color, just like on the web interface, which isn’t available in the native Apple app, so I’m a fan, but these two issues are frustrating.

Developer Response ,

Hi there. Could you try uninstalling and then reinstalling the Gmail app itself? If this doesn't help, please visit our Community Forum for any additional assistance: https://goo.gle/3vV3eHZ. You may also send your feedback directly to our product team so that it may be assessed. You can do this by following the steps given in this article from our help center : https://goo.gle/2NXOZiX. Have a great day!

Simple, I like it that way

For those who want a simple approach to the online world, this is the app for you. As I’ve heard others say, this very product designed by google has simply become the standard in the way email websites are presented today. There’s no doubt about it. The interface, I would say, is user friendly. The app itself is fast and from my time using it, I have experienced no bugs (that’s not to say they don’t exist, however.)

There’s one minor inconvenience and I’m not even sure if this is a google classroom issue or a gmail issue. I use this service for schooling, and I rely on it much more these days because of the current state of the world, and consequently I have to do online schooling. Gmail and classroom don’t work together. I’ll receive an email hours after the assignment itself has been posted, so at times I’m not in the loop as to what I need to have turned in. When I do receive an email for classroom, I’ll tap the “open” button and it doesn’t take me directly to the assignment/announcement. All it does is open the app so now I have to dig through classroom to find it.

Regardless, this app is great and if you want a simple approach to email, this app is the way to go.

Multi-device issues. Hard to attach files. Bad for tablets.

Biggest issue I have with this is that it seems to load your draft emails from a local cache, sometimes blowing away any changes you've made on other devices, or in a browser, leading to inconsistencies and lost changes. Gmail for web has an indicator constantly telling you that your draft is being saved. This app seems not to bother saving drafts until you close them. It should behave more like web, constantly saving as you go, for improved continuity across devices. I'd recommend just using the web site, especially if you're on an iPad. The app is barely usable if you're doing any serious work. It is possible to attach a file in a new message by using a third party app's 'share' function, but basically impossible to get that file into a reply to an existing thread. Gmail should have a way to add an attachment to a draft or 'in reply to ...' or something when coming from a third party app. Presumably Google makes this difficult intentionally so that you use their cloud services. A common and annoying growth strategy for tech companies, but here we are. Again, especially if you're on a tablet, just use the web site. Attachments work much better there, too, as you can browse all files on your device, unlike in the app. You can also use browser tabs to open multiple emails and copy/paste content between them. It is rare these days for a web site to be better than a native app. Congrats to the gmail web team.

Developer Response ,

Hi there. Thank you for reporting this. Please send your feedback directly to our product team so that it may be assessed. You can do this by following the steps given in this article from our help center : https://goo.gle/2NXOZiX. Have a great day!