Google fixes Gmail bug, relaunches app for iPhone

Computerworld - Google today relaunched its Gmail app for Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, two weeks after it yanked a buggy version.

"We've fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store," said Google program manager Matthew Izatt in a post to the company's Gmail blog today.

Izatt cautioned users who had downloaded and installed the original Gmail app to either delete it or log out of the app before installing the new version.

Computerworld followed Izatt's instructions, then downloaded and installed Gmail 1.0.2: Unlike the original, the new version did not display an error message related to notifications.

Two weeks ago, Google was forced to pull its first take on Gmail for iOS after acknowledging it had "messed up" by issuing flawed software.

At the time, David Girouard, Google's vice president of apps and the company's top executive for its enterprise group, issued an apology on Twitter and Google+.

"Googla culpa!" Girouard said on Twitter Nov. 2. "Sorry, but we pushed a bad version of our iOS app for Gmail. More info shortly - we're working on it."

Google's second try at a Gmail app for iOS doesn't throw up an error message, as did the original.

One noted app developer, who had earlier said that Google's mistake was "a pretty trivial thing to fix," took the company to the woodshed today for spending weeks on the flaw.

"It seriously took Google 2 weeks to recompile the app and resubmit?" said Paul Haddad, the creator of Tweetbot, on Twitter Wednesday. "When we got bit by that we had it fixed in < 24 hrs."

A few minutes later, Haddad added that there was "no excuse" for taking two weeks to quash the bug and get it re-approved by Apple.

As of 3 p.m. ET, the Gmail app could not be found by searching the App Store; to download it, steer to this URL, then click the button marked "View in iTunes."

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

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