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Gmail for iOS has been updated with support for a dedicated widget. The Gmail widget is available on devices running on iOS 14 and above, it allows you to search your inbox and compose a new email. In addition to Gmail, the Google Drive and Google Fit apps on iOS have been updated with widgets. Google has also promised to bring Calendar and Chrome widgets to offer an improved experience on iOS 14 and later. Meanwhile, Chrome on the iPad has been updated with multi-window support.
Unlike the Gmail widget on Android that lets you see your latest emails, its iOS counterpart doesn’t give you a preview of your inbox. Instead, it gives you a standard 4×2 widget from where you can search your inbox or tap the Compose shortcut to create a new email. The Gmail widget on iOS also comes with a shortcut to view your unread emails. Provides a counter that lets you see how many new emails are in your inbox instead of having to use the badge on the Gmail app icon.
The differences between the Gmail Android and iOS widgets exist primarily due to Apple’s developer guidelines that limit developers to providing interactive elements in their widgets.
Google has provided updated Gmail for iOS (version 6.0.201101) for devices running on iOS 12.0 and higher. However, the Gmail widget will only be available if your iPhone is running on iOS 14.
Along with the Gmail widget, Google announced that it has created the Drive widget for iOS devices that provides the ability to search for any file stored in cloud storage. Google Fit for iOS has also been updated with the widget that allows you to track your activity with Heart Points and Steps.
Google will also bring the Calendar widget for iOS devices in the coming days that will display your upcoming appointments and give you quick access to your calendar. In addition, the Chrome widget that will give access to search, will open a new tab or incognito tab, voice search and QR scanning has also arrived in Chrome Beta. It will be available to everyone early next year, Google said.
Google Drive, Calendar, Fit and Chrome with widget support
Google recently introduced widget support to its apps, including Google Photos, YouTube Music, and the native Google app. However, the experience so far is identical to what could be obtained through the context menus of Google applications previously.
Google has also updated Chrome for iOS and iPadOS to version 87.0.4280.60. The updated Chrome browser on the iPad allows you to open multiple windows simultaneously. You just need to touch and hold a link and then choose the ‘Open in a new window’ option to open a specific website in a new window. Also, the update brings a feature called ‘security check’ in the Settings menu that allows you to check if you are on the latest version of Chrome, have Safe Browsing enabled, and if you have compromised passwords. It will also provide you with the steps to fix compromised passwords, if you have any.
The updated Chrome browser also comes with a secure auto-fill feature that will ask for Face ID, Touch ID, or your password when auto-fill your passwords.
Earlier this week, Google updated the Chrome browser on macOS with several performance improvements. It also released a native version of Chrome for Apple’s silicon that had to stop for a day due to some glitches.
Are the iPhone 12 mini and HomePod mini the perfect Apple devices for India? We talked about this on Orbital, our weekly tech podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
