Former Apple Engineer Introduces Native Gmail Client for Mac With Multi-Account Support, System Notifications, and More

[MacRumors]

Neil Jhaveri, a former Apple engineer who worked on the company's default Mail app, has introduced a new Gmail client for macOS.

Available in beta, Mimestream is a native app written in Swift and designed with AppKit and SwiftUI for a clean, stock appearance. Jhaveri says the app is designed to be fast, lightweight, and use a minimal amount of disk space.

Mimestream uses the Gmail API rather than IMAP to support more Gmail-specific features, such as categorized inboxes, automatically synced aliases and signatures, full labels integration, and search operators. Jhaveri plans to add more features over time, including Google Drive support, server-side filter configuration, and G Suite directory autocomplete.

Mimestream's advantages over using the Gmail web interface include support for multiple Gmail accounts with a unified inbox, system-level notifications, system-level Dark Mode support, swipe gestures, tracking prevention, and more.

Jhaveri says Mimestream only makes direct connections to Gmail and does not use intermediary servers, adding that the app does not collect or sell users' emails.

Mimestream is free for a limited time while in beta and will eventually be a paid app distributed through the Mac App Store. macOS Catalina or later is required. Jhaveri says an iOS and iPadOS version of the app is planned for the future.

Article Link: Former Apple Engineer Introduces Native Gmail Client for Mac With Multi-Account Support, System Notifications, and More

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This seems very useful!

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I'll check this out. I used to use Kiwi, but found that it was just as easy to have a pinned tab in safari. We'll see if this app can change my thinking about that.

 

[spymousetruck]

Are ex-Apple engineers allowed to produce an application similar in nature to the one they originally worked on? Just curious.

 

[HiVolt]

Looks like Apple Mail, lol...

 

[Capeto]

Looks cool, I’ll give it a try over the weekend.

 

[smithrh]

Are ex-Apple engineers allowed to produce an application similar in nature to the one they originally worked on? Just curious.

Depends on the legal agreements - if any - they signed on the way in or on the way out. And whether any agreements are still in force, or have expired.

If he's in California, there are additional worker protections in play as well - non-competes are out.

 

[EnJaNir]

free for a limited time while in beta....

 

[BWhaler]

Excellent. I hope this is a huge success. google apps on Apple devices are one big dumpster fire.

 

[fireguy286]

Are ex-Apple engineers allowed to produce an application similar in nature to the one they originally worked on? Just curious.

It's a native written Swift app around the Gmail API... It's not something anyone else can't do frankly. He just did. Don't see an issue

 

[69Mustang]

Excellent. I hope this is a huge success. google apps on Apple devices are one big dumpster fire.

Maybe you're using the wrong ones. They work perfectly fine on mine.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Excellent. I hope this is a huge success. google apps on Apple devices are one big dumpster fire.

Yes! I would totally buy a good gmail ios/ipados app. The native google one is beyond terrible.

 

[Corsig]

I started using yahoo email ages ago and now I'm locked in. Too many people use this address for me to switch to any other. Am I correct to say that I cant get my yahoo emails to be read in a gmail client?
PS- I also have a gmail account I use for work so I have both

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Anyone smell a lawsuit coming? And, if it's more stable than the mess he left at Apple (the Mail.app), this would beg the question: Why isn't the Apple Mail.app better?

OKAY OKAY...

Lawsuit, because it looks (almost) exactly like the Apple mail app. If they are selling this app, they may have a problem, or at least a licensing issue? Maybe? Possibly? Or is that a picture of the actual Apple mail app in the thread topper. Looking closer, it's probably different enough to get by.

Apple mail app stability comes from my experiencing supporting the wife and her three exchange accounts, a gmail account, and two Apple .me accounts. Oh, and scheduling/calendaring, etc. It just goes sideways occasionally, and I think she has resorted to logging in to the exchange servers directly, and keeps a paper schedule book. I tease her about it, making it worse. Oops...

Is there a better, safer, mail client to use in her case? Getting them all in one app would be her goal to save time, and still having a way to tell from which account each message comes from. And also scheduling working more seamless than it does.

 

[Sasparilla]

This looks really nice.

 

[Six Mac Abs]

Awwww, why didn't he write it with 'Google Inbox' functionality!??? I miss Inbox so much since Google closed it and although there was talk of them adding bundles to gmail, they haven't materialised yet, after al this time, so I guess they never will. Super disappointed about that. 'Inbox' was such a great email client for powering through all your mail fast.

 

[pbush25]

This is crazy, maybe I subconsciously saw this somewhere else because literally this morning I was thinking to myself that I wish there were a native Gmail client since I hate having to use Chrome or keep a pinned tab in safari.

I'll check this out!

 

[ghanwani]

I'm happy just using the browser interface. That way I have a consistent look and feel across macOS and Windows.

 

[NoSoup4U]

Excellent. I hope this is a huge success. google apps on Apple devices are one big dumpster fire.

Google apps are noted for the bad UX on every platform. It's part of their branding.

 

[casperes1996]

Looks a lot like the native mail client. Which brings up the point, why not just use the Mail app? It supports more than just Gmail, so you can gather all your email providers in one place; iCloud, Exchange, Gmail, Yahoo, custom email servers - The article said something about using the Gmail API and getting extra Gmail features from that, but I can’t imagine anything on offer there that is really useful; Categoriesed inboxes - well, I already have Smart inboxes and the ability to create my own archiving systems with the native mail client. - Maybe it’s just because I’m not really much into Gmail but use many different email systems, including my own server and like the simplicity of regular SMTP and IMAP.

But I mean good for this guy - I’m sure it’s high quality, well produced software

 

[casperes1996]

I'm happy just using the browser interface. That way I have a consistent look and feel across macOS and Windows.

Until Google changes the UI again on the web page, or you want to log into another mail provider. - Mail clients give you consistent UI across all email providers - And there are cross platform ones too, like Thunderbird

 

[benz240]

It looks and works great on first impression, but there's no way to turn off conversation view in the message list. I hate conversation grouping.

 

[jonnysods]

I'm a Kiwi email fan myself as I use two G Suite accounts for my two companies - insanely handy.

 

[yellow8]

Take my money!!!
Oh wait, I left gmail..

 

[tivoboy]

Will give it a try.. I’ve used 3rd party gmail clients for a decade or more. Started with Mailplane which was really the first. Later shifted to Kiwi (alpha/beta tester) and continue to use that today. With about 6+ gmail accounts having it all consolidated and segregated by account is very beneficial. Kiwi has done a very good job at getting it right and enabling most if not all the gmail needed functionality for mail, calendaring, notes, meet, etc. While I like the idea of an apple engineered product, having it look EXACTLY like mail might not be my preference. We’ll see, free testing is always good.