Gmail updated with actionable notifications for Jelly Bean users

Google has just updated its Gmail app to include new actionable notifications for incoming email on devices running Jelly Bean. This means that incoming email can be archived, deleted or replied to directly from the notification pane, rather than by entering the app first. Since being introduced in Android 4.1, actionable notifications have been seemingly underutilized compared to simple expandable notifications. It's good to see Google putting the new functionality to use in its own apps.

Many users are unfortunately reporting that this update to Gmail is causing Light Flow -- which controls LED flashing for notifications -- to crash uncontrollably. The only fix seems to be to uninstall the app for the moment, and hopefully the developer can be quick with a fix.

The update also enables faster search on devices with Ice Cream Sandwich, and performance improvements for users on Froyo and up. You can grab a download or update of the official Gmail app from the link above.

Source: Official Gmail Blog

Andrew Martonik

Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.