The Gmail iOS app is finally getting a much more useful widget

By Jesse Hollington November 12, 2021

As far as widgets go, Google’s iOS apps have always left something to be desired, but it looks that’s about to change as the search giant has announce plans to bring the widget for its iOS app on par with the Android experience.

Although widgets only came to the iPhone with last year’s release of iOS 14, most app developers came up with some pretty creative ways to make use of the new widgets. Not Google, though, which gave Gmail a widget that was basically just a collection of shortcut buttons that didn’t display any particularly useful information beyond the number of unread messages sitting in your inbox.

Old Gmail widget on iPhone. — Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends

This week, however, Google announced that paucity of information will soon be in the past, with the Gmail app getting a new widget that will let you show the top items from your inbox on your Home Screen.

In other words, the Gmail widget will finally catch up to what the widgets for every other mail app have been doing all along. It’s not only a widget that shows more useful information — you’ll be able to see the top three emails, complete with sender, subject, and when they were received — but it also looks more attractive than the old one.

New Gmail widget for iOS. — Google

Last month, Google’s design lead for Apple platforms tweeted about the company’s plans to bring Google’s iOS apps more in line with the Apple user experience. While the overall look and feel of Gmail hasn’t changed significantly yet, it looks like this update may be the first step along that road.

Google says the new widget should start appearing in the Gmail iOS app in the next few weeks. Like many of the changes Google makes to its apps, this will probably come from the back-end servers rather than appearing in an App Store update.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Jesse Hollington

Mobile Writer

Jesse has been a technology enthusiast for his entire life — he probably would have been born with an iPhone in his hand…

Mobile

These 7 apps make iOS 17’s StandBy mode even better

iOS 17 StandBy widget feature showing on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple's iOS 17 update for iPhone may not have as many features as previous versions, but it is still a valuable update that deserves your attention. My favorite new tools are the interactive widgets and StandBy apps. Unfortunately, Apple and others have not given the latter feature enough attention, which is a shame.

Some people believe StandBy is little more than a way to turn their iPhone into a digital clock, but it's much more than that. With StandBy, you can easily and quickly access the information that matters to you most with a glance. Initially, Apple displays data from the native Calendar, Clock, and Reminders app, but third-party apps are also supported — provided that the developer chooses to do so.

Mobile

Here’s what iOS 17’s coolest feature looks like in action

Apple NameDrop in action.

Apple has rolled out iOS 17 globally, and if you’ve already installed it, you might be surprised by the lack of visual pizazz that it offers. That observation isn’t far from reality. With the exception of StandBy mode, which essentially turns your iPhone into a glorified smart display while charging, there really isn’t much of a visual wow factor here.

But if you dig deeper, you will find that Apple really flexed its design muscles at the most basic level — telephony. With iOS 17, Apple introduced Contact Posters. Think of them as a digital identity card, one that allows a heap of styling and really lights up your call screen.

Mobile

I found 11 new widgets for iOS 17 that you have to try

Best iOS 17 interactive widgets

Widgets have been a popular feature on iPhones for a long time. With iOS 17, these widgets have become interactive, creating a more immersive experience. With interactive widgets, you can take important actions right from your iPhone home screen and lock screen. For instance, you can complete to-do lists, play and pause media and podcasts, access your Home app controls, and much more — all without having to open any apps.

Interactive widgets aren't solely for Apple's native apps in iOS 17. Third-party developers are also embracing the new feature. While the list of apps that utilize the new feature is still short, a few have already stood out. Here are some interactive widgets worth exploring.
Copilot