If you use an Android device, Microsoft Exchange, and Gmail, you’re in for a treat. Google has announced that it will be rolling out an update for the Gmail Android app that will add support for Exchange. The change should be arriving on most users’ handsets within the next several days.
“Now, whether you’re on Google Apps or Exchange, you can use the Gmail app on any Android device to send and receive mail,” the company wrote in a blog post yesterday. Google has made a number of upgrades to its Gmail app recently, including a slew of new productivity features introduced last week.
Work and Personal E-Mail in One App
But this latest update should be one of the most significant for users who would like to use the Gmail app for work-related e-mails, rather than just for their personal messages. Not only will they be able to sync their inboxes together, they will also be able to access their Exchange calendars through the app as well.
While the Gmail app has provided support for other e-mail services such as Yahoo and Hotmail, this will be the first time it has included significant Exchange support across the board. However, Google had previously supported the feature on Nexus handsets and some other Android devices running Lollipop and later versions. That meant many users had to switch from one e-mail app to another when switching between their work and personal accounts.
The move to support Exchange should go a long way toward making Android devices more popular among enterprise clients. That’s because Exchange remains one of the most popular e-mail services for organizations. Beyond making Android phones a more viable business device, Exchange support should also help Google push its tablets to more enterprise clients.
The update is also likely good news for Microsoft as well, since its major e-mail service will now be getting support from the most popular mobile operating system in the world. Microsoft has recently taken a greater interest in the Android OS as its own proprietary mobile device OS has struggled to gain traction.
A Push for the Enterprise Client
Google has been making a number of improvements to its e-mail services that seem to be geared toward enterprise clients.
The company also announced several new features last week, including one that will keep track of all the e-mails related to a single event and make updates in a user’s calendar for any changes such as rescheduling or relocating. While useful for social gatherings, the feature will also likely be a major boon for organizations trying to organize meetings of large teams over e-mail chains.
Google also also recently brought its popular Reminders over to the Web version of Calendar, allowing users to track their to-do lists from their browsers as well as their Android or iOS devices.
Image Credit: Gmail logo and screenshot via Google Play.
