There was much rejoicing in the App World earlier today when the highly anticipated Gmail app finally arrived in the iTunes App Store. Trouble is, within a short time, it was gone. Yanked by Google due to a serious bug, it was a fleeting appearance to say the least.
Earlier today we launched a new Gmail app for iOS. Unfortunately, it contained a bug which broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. We’ve removed the app while we correct the problem, and we’re working to bring you a new version soon. Everyone who’s already installed the app can continue to use it.
Excitement was brewing for this standalone app which mirrors its Android counterpart. Offering a far better interface to access Gmail than the in-built iOS Mail client, the app promises all manner of wonderful things like push notifications, search capabilities, label organization and priority inbox features.
From the screenshots, it looks pretty nice. There’s even a full review or two floating around, which we’ll hope to bring you once the app gets reinstated. From poster child, to runt of the litter in a matter of minutes, it was obviously a disappointing turn of events for many, and provoked some harsh reactions, as if the end of the world was finally upon us. The Twitter hashtag #FirstWorldProblems immediately sprang to mind.
Still, it does go to show that even the mighty can fail. Despite much testing and fine-tuning, the most respected developers sometimes miss important things. Google will bounce back from this small mistake for sure. No doubt a few egos have been dented, but you can bet the app will be back in the iTunes App Store pretty soon and we’ll all flock to it like sheep because, well, it’s kind of a big deal.
