Alternative Email Client Sparrow Acquired by Google

NewImageAlternative email client Sparrow has been acquired by Google. From Sparrow's website:

We're excited to announce that Sparrow has been acquired by Google!

We care a lot about how people communicate, and we did our best to provide you with the most intuitive and pleasurable mailing experience.

Now we're joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision — one that we think we can better achieve with Google.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to all of our users who have supported us, advised us, given us priceless feedback and allowed us to build a better mail application. While we’ll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users.

We had an amazing ride and can't thank you enough.

Full speed ahead!

Dom Leca
CEO
Sparrow

Sparrow originally launched on the Mac, but an iPhone version was released earlier this year. Leca also said that Sparrow's products will continue to be made available with "support and critical updates", but Sparrow does not plan to release new features. There's no word whether Push email support -- promised earlier this year -- will make its way to the iOS app or if that has been pushed aside.

Late last year, Google released an iOS Gmail app which was received poorly by users. Google issued this statement on the acquisition, but wouldn't divulge details of the purchase:

The Sparrow team has always put their users first by focusing on building a seamlessly simple and intuitive interface for their email client. We look forward to bringing them aboard the Gmail team, where they’ll be working on new projects.

Update: The Verge says Sparrow was acquired for "under $25 million" and that there was no bidding war for the company.

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...

Top Rated Comments

CylonGlitch Avatar
176 months ago
I'm sorry, but with this move, I can't use Sparrow. I'm not a fan of Google's tactics, now they can more closely monitor our emails.
Score: 81 Votes (Like | Disagree)
outphase Avatar
176 months ago
I'm sorry, but with this move, I can't use Sparrow. I'm not a fan of Google's tactics, now they can more closely monitor our emails.

How can they be any closer if they're already your email provider?
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TLewis Avatar
176 months ago
Well, that sucks. Google has an unfortunate history of killing most of its acquisitions. :eek: :(
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
176 months ago
I'm sorry, but with this move, I can't use Sparrow. I'm not a fan of Google's tactics, now they can more closely monitor our emails.

You being on the internet is being monitored. Get over that Google monitors your stuff...
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
176 months ago
Well, there goes the dream of a good, small-company, independent e-mail app.

I never even used it but this seems kind of sad.

I wonder if Google will end up replacing their terrible iOS G-Mail app with this or if they'll live side-by-side for some unknown reason.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
finalcut Avatar
176 months ago
oh no :/

Time to get back with Mail.app I guess.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)