Google rolling out Material 3 redesign of Gmail for iPhone
After testing earlier this year, Google is now widely rolling out a Material 3 redesign of Gmail on iPhone and iPad.
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Intel Unison allowed Android and iOS to connect to Windows, now it’s shutting down
Intel Unison was a strong tool for Android and iOS users that wanted to share files, check messages, and more. Now, it seems like Intel is shutting that app down, leaving some users without a strong option for PC connection.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube investigating widespread low quality video playback issues on iOS
Google has confirmed it is investigating an issue causing low quality in playback of videos and Shorts through the YouTube app on iOS.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Maps for iPhone gets sheet & directions redesign, improves reachability
Following Android back in July, Google Maps is now rolling out a sheet-based redesign that replaces most fullscreen UIs in the iPhone app.
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iOS 18.4 adding RCS support for Google Fi
Apple yesterday released the latest iOS 18.4 beta and it enables support for RCS on Google Fi. iPhone users on the Google MVNO have been waiting for this improvement to Android-iOS messaging since September.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Gemini app on iPhone update adds lockscreen widgets, more
Following last week’s homescreen redesign, the Google Gemini app on iPhone has been updated with lockscreen widgets and direct access in Control Center.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle advertising Gemini Live with podcast ads
Increasing Gemini app usage is said to be Google’s “biggest focus” in 2025, with the company recently buying podcast ads to drive downloads.
Expand Expanding CloseGemini app for iPhone gets homescreen redesign, auto-opens keyboard
Following Android in January, the Gemini app on iPhone has received a homescreen redesign that will auto-open the keyboard on launch.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Lens powering new Screen Search in Chrome for iOS
Google is more deeply integrating Lens visual search into Chrome for iOS with a new Screen Search capability that takes after Circle to Search on Android. Meanwhile, Google Lens can now recognize more unique images.
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Google app on iOS removing Gemini as it pushes users to full app
Google is informing iOS users that it will be removing Gemini support from the main Google app as it pushes users over to the full Gemini app.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Play Books makes it ‘easier’ to buy ebooks on iOS
Third-party ebook apps on iPhone and iPad have historically not let users make direct purchases. Google Play Books for iOS is now supporting Apple’s “reader” apps exception for providing external links to buy ebooks.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle updates Gmail for iPhone with Material 3 redesign
Compared to Android, only some of Google’s iOS apps use the latest version of Material Design. Gmail for iPhone and iPad was finally updated with a Material 3 redesign today.
Expand Expanding CloseGemini app on iPhone update adds model picker for 2.0 Flash
Following Android, Google is rolling out an update to the Gemini app on iPhone that lets users select 2.0 Flash Experimental.
Expand Expanding CloseStandalone ‘Google Gemini’ app spotted for iPhone with Gemini Live
Since launch, Gemini on iOS has been part of the Google (Search) app. That’s about to change with at least one iPhone user today spotting a standalone “Google Gemini” app on the App Store that also lets you access Gemini Live.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle working on RCS encryption between Android and iPhone
With RCS rolling out on the iPhone yesterday, Google is looking ahead on new features including cross-platform end-to-end encryption (E2EE) between Android and iPhone.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle updates Search widget on iPhone with customizable shortcuts, like Gemini
The Search widget offered by the Google app on iPhone and iPad now offers customizable shortcuts, including to Gemini.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Fi waiting on Apple to enable RCS for iPhone users
iOS 18 is rolling out today with RCS to improve the Android-iPhone messaging experience, but support is not yet enabled for all carriers, including Google Fi Wireless.
Expand Expanding CloseiOS 18 rolling out RCS to the iPhone for better Android messaging
Apple today is rolling out iOS 18 with support for RCS in a huge boost to the iPhone-Android messaging experience.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Maps rolling out simplified bottom bar redesign to iPhone
After coming to Android in late July, the Google Maps bottom bar redesign, which aims to make the app a bit cleaner, is now on the iPhone.
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Google Maps adds speedometer and speed limits on iPhone, CarPlay
Back in 2019, Google Maps for Android gained a speedometer that simply “shows you how fast you’re driving on the road” and it’s now coming to the iPhone.
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Google Messages removes no encryption icon from iPhone RCS chats
In a curious change, Google Messages no longer shows that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) isn’t available in iPhone RCS conversations.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Messages RCS conversations with iPhones have some quirks
Earlier this week, Apple rolled out iOS 18 Beta 2 with support for Rich Communication Services (in the US). The experience of using Google Messages to talk to someone with an iPhone over RCS is pretty straightforward, though it’s clearly the first take.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube will ask iOS users to ‘Allow’ tracking for more personalized ads
With iOS 14.5, Apple required app developers to tell users about and have them opt-in to broader tracking. In 2021, Google apps stopped certain tracking methods (IDFA) to comply and not have to show that prompt. YouTube will soon ask iOS users if they want to opt into “more personalized advertising” with an App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt.
Expand Expanding CloseComment: I have a new appreciation for Android’s themed icons after seeing iOS 18
Customization was a big focus of Apple’s reveal of iOS 18 this week, and that includes updating the homescreen to be truly customizable. That includes Apple bringing a version of Android’s themed icons to iOS, but despite Apple’s being more customizable, it feels like Android made the better choices here.
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