android: Gmail crosses 10 billion downloads on Google Play Store – Times of India

Gmail for Android has achieved a big milestone today. The app has crossed the 10 billion downloads mark on Google Play Store. This makes the Gmail app the fourth Google app to surpass that download number after Google Play Services, Google Maps and YouTube.
Considering Gmail is an important Google App that comes pre-installed on almost every Android smartphone out of the box as a part of the Google apps suite, it definitely comes as a surprise it took this long for the app to cross the 10 billion downloads mark.
However, that won’t take away the fact this is still a huge accomplishment for Google.
The Gmail app initially arrived as a means to send and receive emails on the go. Later, Google made some changes to the app in order to integrate it more deeply into the operating system and other Google services like calendar, events, maps, etc.
Recently, the app has also received Meet and Chat integration allowing people to stay connected without the need of downloading another app on their device.
A reason why Gmail has been ‘late’ in crossing the milestone could be the Gmail Go version which is lighter and essentially does almost everything as the regular app. In addition to that, the Gmail web also offers a pretty intuitive set of options and features without the need to download the Gmail app at all.
Lastly, most Android smartphone makers offer their own email client app that allows users to link multiple email accounts into one app.