Google updates on iOS return in earnest with Gmail, Calendar, and Docs today

At the start of last month, Google started to release new iOS versions of the YouTube family of applications following a long, unspecified pause. Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, and other apps were updated today in a seeming return to normal for iPhone and iPad owners. 

Over the past few weeks, YouTube and YouTube Music have seen a handful of patches. Last Friday, Google Podcast got a new version, and Monday sees a trio of big iPhone updates: Google Calendar, Gmail and Docs/Sheets/Slides. 

For the email app, it’s the first new update since December 1. Release notes for version 6.0.210124 only specify “bug fixes and performance improvements.” It follows a bug where iPhone owners encountered a “This app is out of date” message when attempting to sign in with a new Google Account.

The changelogs for these other productivity clients are similarly vague. All the updates today feature App Privacy details, though they were added sometime before these new versions. Some originally speculated that the lack of updates were due to Apple’s nutrition labels, but — whatever the reason — this was not a normal winter holiday pause as app development continued on the Android side.

• Google apps will stop using tracking ID that would require upcoming iOS 14 permission prompt

Drive was last updated in December, along with Google Search, Photos, and Maps. These apps still lack privacy labels. Meanwhile, Chrome remains on version 87 even as 88 rolled out 41 days ago to all other platforms. The next browser update is set to launch later this week.

That said, the lack of new app versions has not impacted feature rollouts given how Google frequently leverages server-side updates.