Gmail 2.0 for iOS Brings New Look, Support for Multiple Accounts

Today, Google unveiled an updated version of its Gmail app for the iPhone and iPad, promising a “faster, sleeker and easier” email experience on iOS devices.

One of the biggest features of Gmail 2.0 is added support of multiple accounts. You can now log in to as many as five Google accounts and switch among them with a couple of taps.

The app now offers infinite scrolling and predictive search results as you start typing. There’s also better integration of Google services, with the ability to RSVP to Google Calendar invites and comment on and +1 Google+ posts from within the Gmail app.

Finally, Gmail 2.0 has a revamped interface that now shows profile pictures in messages. The look is somewhat similar to the Sparrow email client, which Google acquired back in July.

Matthew Izatt, Gmail product manager, said in a blog post that Google began work on version 2.0 six months ago. When asked if the Sparrow team was involved in this latest version, a Google spokesperson said, “Like every launch in Gmail, this was very much a team effort.”

Gmail 2.0 is available from the iTunes App Store for free, but I just tried to download it several times on my iPhone 4 and kept getting this error message: “The item you tried to buy is no longer available.” My colleague Walt Mossberg got the same message, even after being prompted to update the app.

The Gmail team is aware of the issue and tweeted that the app is still rolling out to iTunes and to try again later if you’re having problems.

Google hasn’t had the best track record with launching Gmail on iOS devices. When Gmail was first released for the iPhone, Google pulled it almost immediately due to technical problems.