After neglecting the app for several months, Google today finally updated Gmail on the App Store for the first time in exactly three months.
Today's update, version 6.0.210124, says it includes "Bug fixes and performance improvements," but it is a notable update given it's the first one the app has seen in months. Alongside Gmail, Google Meet, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calander, and Google Tasks have also received app updates today, with Google Tasks adding new iOS 14 widgets.
As with nearly all Google apps on the App Store, Gmail had remained without a proper app update for months. Initial speculation was that Google was holding back app updates as a way to delay having to disclose to users its privacy practices. Updates for Google's more popular apps have started rolling out over the past few weeks, and Gmail is certainly one of the most high-profile ones to finally see an update.
Announced at WWDC 2020 and rolled out officially in December, Apple's privacy "nutrition labels" require developers to provide users detailed information about what data they collect and whether they share that data with third parties. As of early December, developers must provide this privacy information before a new or updated app can be made available on the App Store.
Google updated Gmail with privacy labels just over a week ago, but the app itself was not updated until today.
