A recent update (iTunes) to the Gmail app for iOS has added some useful features including the ability to sign out of individual accounts in the app as well, options to open links to maps, websites, and videos in Google Maps, Chrome, and YouTube, and the ability to swipe left and right through messages in the inbox.
The new options for handling links will be a welcome addition for users that prefer native apps to Google's mobile web offerings. The option functions as one would expect and is enabled by default. In order to switch back one must navigate two menu layers (Settings->Mobile Apps). The options are granular so the user can choose to use any or all of the three apps.
The other two parts of the update should help make managing a user's inbox easier. Signing out of individual accounts will assist users in managing their different accounts and swiping between messages will eliminate a step from navigating through a full inbox.
Google also updated their iOS Search app to include Google Now with 15 cards that the user can switch on and off. The cards are presented within the app and push notifications are not yet supported.
Google continues to improve their iOS apps in such a way that they allow a user to have an almost complete Google experience on iOS. While some features are still lacking (for example, several Google Now cards available on Android are not yet supported), Google has continued to push as many of their services as they can in as many places as possible.
Google's continued (and ever increasing) presence on iOS should serve as a reminder that Google is not a hardware and software company but an information company. Google understands that they do not make money from Android handsets, but by selling ads and in order to sell better ads, Google needs access to information about its users.
The good news is that Google has found ways to collect information that helps make users' lives easier. Google Now will be used to serve targeted advertisements to users, but the way the service collects the information helps Google Now users make decisions and plan ahead.
While there are some privacy concerns with Google's business plan, Google does offer data portability as well as a plain English explanation of how it uses gathered information in its privacy policy. This should help reassure users that they are entering a direct exchange with the company: Users view and click ads in exchange for the high value services that Google offers. The exchange will continue to be a fair one as long as users' transactions with Google remain transparent and include only the user and Google.
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