Google+ iPhone app released; no iPad or iPod Touch support yet
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Google+ has an iPhone app, and it’s now available for free download in Apple’s App Store.
At first blush, the iOS version of the Google+ app doesn’t look all that dissimilar from the Android version.
And that’s not a bad thing as the main features between the two apps are in place -- the Stream, Circles and Huddles.
Of course, the mobile apps are limited and aren’t nearly as capable as the desktop in-browser version of Google+. For example, there are no group-video-chat Hangouts available in the apps.
As of about 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Google+ app for iOS was available in the App Store via iTunes but not on iOS devices themselves. Vic Gondotra, who is heading up Google+, said on Google+ that the app ‘should be rolling out over the next few hours.’
The Google+ iOS app works with any iPhone 3G, 3GS or 4 running iOS 3.1 or newer (sorry iPhone 1 users), but as of day-one, there is no support for the app on the iPad or iPod Touch -- which may leave some iOS users feeling left out.
[Updated 11:11 a.m.: Well, that was quick. The Google+ app for iOS has already recieved it first update -- from version 1.0 to version 1.0.1.1809, according to the app’s iTunes listing.
So, what’s new? In the app’s listing Google claims ‘better support for attaching photos to a post,’ ‘various bug fixes and performance improvements’ and ‘better support for blocking unwanted messages in Huddle.’
The app also now requires iOS 4.0 or newer. Also, we’ve gotten a few reports of the Google+ app not working with Apple’s iPod Touch or iPad and being restricted to only iPhones (as the listing states). Sound off in the comments below and tell us what you think of the new app.]
[Updated 11:19 a.m.: Punit Soni, Google+’s lead mobile product manager, explained the reason for the hasty update on Google+, saying:
We discovered an issue with the version of the iPhone Google+ App that was on the App Store. When we launched, the App Store started serving a previous test version of the App which didn’t have the stability and fixes that the latest version had. It started serving the correct version a little later. If you downloaded within the first 1 hour 40 mins, you may have downloaded the older test version. To check:- Click on the gear icon on the top left of your App’s homescreen and look right above the Help button, the version number of the App should be: 1.0.1.1809- If that is not the version number, then please uninstall and reinstall by clicking on the link below: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google/id447119634?ls=1&mt=8]
[Updated 12:11 p.m.: Punit Soni, who is heading up Google+’s mobile development, said on his Google+ profile that while the Google+ iOS app currently only works with the iPhone, it will soon work with other iOS devices -- the iPad and iPod Touch.
‘Please give us time,’ Soni said in a comment responding to his above remarks. ‘We will have support for all those devices soon.’
The lack of support for the iPad or iPod Touch is why owners of those i-devices can’t find the Google+ app when looking for it in the App Store on their gadgets. ]
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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles