Gmail for iOS Updated With Background Refresh

How about don't be dicks and just allow 'push' to the native iOS client.

I've got to say, the Google apps are all fantastic, but I want my work account signed in to some, and my personal account signed in to others.

When it tries to throw both my accounts on all Google apps, I want to just delete every single one.

Other than that, this is a welcome update.

Wasn't it recently discovered that apps can abuse background refresh to continue to mine your personal information? Am I the only one unsurprised that Google released this on the heels of this discovery?

Just keep google off my iPhone please!

Really, updating this app mean nothing until a unified inbox is included.

But who closes the app? Or doesn't start it after booting their phone? I fail to see any gain for 99% of gmail app users

But it already does that. Gmail shows me a notification for a new message, I open Gmail, and it takes me straight to the message. I just don't see the difference?

Prior to this update, the app is only active when it is in the foreground. It could not download any mail in the background. Even if you start the app after booting your phone, a few seconds after switching away from it, the app would be suspended and unable to download new message.

Now, whenever you receive a push notification for a new message the app automatically becomes active temporarily to download any new messages.

For example, let's say you receive 20 messages a day. You don't open your Gmail app all day. When you finally do open it, you will have to wait a few seconds while the 20 messages download. If you don't have a connection when you open the app, then the messages will not be there at all.

However, with the new update, the Gmail app downloads the new messages whenever you receive a Gmail push notification. When you open the Gmail app for the first time in a day, all 20 messages would already be downloaded even if you currently have no connection.

Forget Gmail, can someone tell me why we still can't play YouTube in the background?

But it already does that. Gmail shows me a notification for a new message, I open Gmail, and it takes me straight to the message. I just don't see the difference?

You must have a perfect connection at all times then. Before now, Gmail couldn't load the message until after you opened the app from the notification. Now it is using iOS 7's background refresh so that your inbox messages are downloaded in the background.

I close my apps right after using them, every single time. Every time I unlock my phone, no apps are open except messaging.

Just out of curiosity, why would you do this? :confused:

That is an iOS limitation!

There are plenty of 3rd party YouTube apps that support background playing.