New Gmail App For iPhone Is Unusable, Shows Errors Upon Launch

Well, that was a big disappointment. Google just unveiled its first native application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch this morning, and the app is a mess. It’s unusable. It doesn’t even launch properly, displaying an error message upon startup.

Within moments of the application becoming available in iTunes, Gmail users took to Twitter, posting complaints, screenshots and generally ranting about the sorry state of what could have been a much better Gmail experience.

One of the app’s most promising features was its support for push notifications. This is something that the iPhone can’t do for Gmail by default. Unfortunately, none of the features Google promised in its blog post are accessible, because, for many users, the app is stillborn. You can’t even log in. (See below screenshots).

Twitter reactions are harsh:

Follow @parislemon@parislemon
MG Siegler

I'm shocked – SHOCKED – that Google was unable to launch an unbroken iOS app.

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @Scobleizer@Scobleizer
Robert Scoble

The Gmail app is really a piece of crud. Not worth loading. Very disappointed. Discussing it here: plus.google.com/u/0/1110910895…

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @edlamblet@edlamblet
Eduardo Lamblet � 

“@jsnell: Deleted the Gmail app. Well, that was easy.” // Second that! #gmailappios #fail

32 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @ljsgecko@ljsgecko
Laura Jane

Google. You were on thin ice with the greader and gmail updates. And now the G+ app update makes it nearly impossible to share pics #Fail

about 15 hours ago via Twidroyd for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @woainidepigu@woainidepigu
Jeffrey Liu

@Google — Making interfaces uglier, one app at a time. Gmail fail.

about 18 hours ago via DigsbyReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @SolidMail@SolidMail
�

Gmail App on iOS is out and boy it is ugly and clunky! Please someone tell me how to use multiple accounts!? #FAIL

about 1 hour ago via Tweetbot for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @kevsweetwater@kevsweetwater
Kevsweetwater

Gmail app = FAIL no push notifications wtf !?!?!? Sends too Dev/null. DELETE

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @kmore@kmore
kerry morrison

Native gmail app launched an hour ago. This is what is shows on launch. #fail #facepalm http://t.co/OvWbgbrA

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @opasco@opasco
Olivier Pasco

Google just released a GMail app for the iPhone and first thing it does at power-up is to report an error with notifications. Fail!

58 minutes ago via SeesmicReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @kyledhebert@kyledhebert
Kyle Hebert

Already an issue with the Gmail iPhone app: the forward and reply buttons only appear at the end of a message not the UI.

17 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Apparently, not everyone thinks the app is bad news, however. And some have been able to load it:

Follow @Gartenberg@Gartenberg
Michael Gartenberg

The new @gmail app is #awesome

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @Ross@Ross
Ross Mayfield

I like the Gmail iPhone app because I can use it for one account, and the mobile web app for another

44 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

After installation, here’s what the app looks like (thanks to screenshots from Twitter users across a number of different cellular providers):

The real question is here is how were these problems not caught during testing, either on Google’s part or Apple’s? (Conspiracy theory: Apple did catch the errors, but approved the app anyway).

target=_blank>http://chilp.it/983210