14 DAY TRIAL // Google has just released a new version of their Gmail client for Android devices, which is now slowly rolling out onto Google Play Store worldwide.
Unlike many previous Gmail updates rolled out by Google in the past, this one actually came with an official changelog attached to it, which explains in detail some of the most important improvements included in the latest version of the application.
At first glance, the most important seems to be the fact that Gmail users will now be able to save attachments directly to Drive. Instead of downloading it on your phone, you can now save these attachments to Google Drive and then access them from your smartphone, tablet or computer whenever you wish.
But this is not all. According to Google, the update makes it easier for those using the application in Arabic, Hebrew or Persian to read sentences from right to left.
The official changelog mentions that the update brings "improved RTL support," which means "if you’re a speaker of one of these languages [Arabic, Hebrew, Persian], Gmail on Android now looks and feels the way you'd expect with profile pictures and the navigation menu on the right instead of the left."
Some help-related tweaks have been implemented as well, so when you have a message that went directly to spam, you will now have an explanation at the top of that message so that you can find out why it ended up in the spam folder. This applies to all messages that end up in spam.
Last but not least, Google confirms that with the latest version of Gmail, users will have faster access to the side navigation menu. The update brings the option to swipe from the left edge (or right side for RTL languages), while reading messages, in order to quickly access your accounts and labels.
The introduction of a side menu will also allow users to easily find Settings, Help, and Feedback using the same “swipe from the left side” method.
Gmail users will also find that Google did some tweaking with the Inbox, Trash and Spam categories where you will find some funny messages when they are empty: "You're all done! Please enjoy your day," "No trash here. Thanks for recycling" and "Hooray, no spam here."
As mentioned earlier, the latest update may not be available for all Android users right away, as Google states that the new features will be rolling out over the next few days.
Those who do not use the application yet can now download Gmail for Android for free via Google Play Store. The application should be fully compatible with all devices powered by Android 2.1 and up.
If you are already using Gmail and wish to upgrade to version 4.8, you can manually download the .apk file directly from Softpedia.