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Credit: Zive
As an iCloud user, Gmail is not my primary email service, but millions of other people rely on it faithfully. Although Google created a capable mobile app for smartphone and tablet users, the search giant has long neglected the desktop, where Gmail fans have to settle for the inherent limitations of traditional IMAP client software or a second-rate experience. web-based class. Or them?
What do you get when you extract the Google experience from a web browser and integrate it into a separate application? Kiwi for Gmail 2.0, the closest we will probably get to a native Gmail client for macOS. At first glance, Kiwi looks like little more than the web-based G Suite disguised as an app, which it technically is, but the little details make a big difference.
IDGKiwi offers the Gmail experience you know and love without the inherent limitations of a web browser.
Goodbye web browser
For starters, Kiwi manages up to six different accounts, each with its own color theme of 10 available options. And not just Gmail: G Suite accounts are supported too, with one-click access to Google Drive, Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations from separate windows. Because Kiwi logins are persistent, you can quickly jump from one account to another using the shortcut icons at the top of the main window, or via an optional menu bar that provides one-click access to compose Messages in a new window like a real email client, plus a handy Do Not Disturb toggle when it’s time to get the job done.
New messages or calendar events can also be created through custom global keyboard shortcuts, which work whenever Kiwi is open, even when using other applications. You can drag and drop attachments into the compose window, with file sizes up to 25MB each, and even larger (1TB) with Google Drive integration. But the resistance part is that you can configure Kiwi to launch at startup as the default email client, a nice touch since Apple Mail provides a basic Gmail experience.
The little things
The thoughtful integration of Kiwi for Gmail with macOS does not end there. The app features a sidebar on the left side of the window to quickly switch between Gmail, Google Calendar, or Contacts, as well as shortcuts to create a new message, event, document, spreadsheet, or slide show.
ZiveThe Inbox view of the Kiwi focus filter shows only the incoming messages from the last one, two, three, four, or seven days.
Once your Gmail account is overflowing with new messages, it’s Kiwi to the rescue with Focus’s leaked Inbox. With a single click, users can view only messages received in the past one, two, three, four, or seven days; everything else remains hidden until this option is disabled. However, Kiwi never allows you to forget the amount of unread messages; They are displayed along the top of the main window and, optionally, also the menu bar icon and the dock. Kiwi sends push notifications for incoming messages marked as Important, with an option to configure discrete alert sounds for each account. (Unfortunately, notifications are not color-coded by account, but clicking one opens that message in the correct window.)
IDGThe optional Kiwi menu bar for Gmail makes it easy to compose a new message from any account or Do not disturb mode when it is time to do a job.
Kiwi 2.0 introduces support for Gmail plugins that start with Boomerang, a popular productivity tool for scheduling messages to be sent at a later date, tracking responses, or pressing the pause button on incoming emails. Boomerang includes an AI-powered feature called Responsible to help Gmail users compose better messages and improve their chances of getting a response. (A lot of other plugins are in the works too.
There are some limitations: Kiwi integrates with Google contacts instead of macOS, and, of course, there is no support for rival email services such as Outlook, iCloud or Yahoo. Otherwise, this affordable app makes Gmail much more bearable for Mac owners.
Bottom line
Free Gmail from the web browser with Kiwi, the closest thing to a native desktop macOS app.
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