Google today updated its Gmail app designed for the iPhone and the iPad, introducing a new widget that can be added to the Today center alongside other widgets or to the Home Screen on an iPhone.
After updating, the Gmail widget can be added to the Home Screen by pressing and holding to enter jiggle mode and then tapping the "+" button. From there, scroll down and tap on Gmail to add the widget, using a finger to drag it to the appropriate spot.
The Gmail widget can be used to search within the Gmail app, compose a new email message, or view unread email messages. It provides shortcuts for these tasks only and does not list sensitive email information nor can it be customized with other functionality.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker.
Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
Wow - great job on a useless widget - so instead of just viewing the app icon with unread counts, or just tapping the icon to open the app and getting the same functionality, we now have the option of taking up 8 icon spaces. Awesome work Google!
Widgets have potential and I hope Apple delivers it with the next iteration. Right now they are basically huge icons.
I want widgets to be contextual, interactive, clickable and able to perform the functions of the app from the main screen without taking me to it and adding one more step to the process.
Wow - great job on a useless widget - so instead of just viewing the app icon with unread counts, or just tapping the icon to open the app and getting the same functionality, we now have the option of taking up 8 icon spaces. Awesome work Google!
well to be fair, they are pretty limited by apples widget guidelines
I remember an article from a few years ago that said "You want the best Google experience? Buy an iPhone". Exactly pointing out that for some reason Google pays much more attention to its iPhone apps than to its Android apps.
The American market is dominated by iOS, and Apple users are also the most willing to pay for apps and services, I am not coming up with this, I actually heard about it in an App Development research/teaching group.
The rest of the world uses Android, but a large proportion of those users are not paying subscribers to any type of service Google offers, so... it makes sense.
