Gmail 4.2 for Android brings pinch-to-zoom

The next Gmail app for Android will have new features, according to a video posted at Android Police. The new app will support pinch-to-zoom, one of the most requested features. Also added into the mix is swiping to archive and delete items, letting you simply flick away messages as you scroll through your inbox.

As you can see on the screenshot below, you can choose what action to apply to the new swiping feature, either having it delete the message, archive or delete, or you can disable the feature if you're concerned about an accidental swipe sending a message to the trash unbeknownst to you. The default setting is "Archive or Delete." In the default setting, swiping a message in the inbox will automatically send it to archives, while swiping a message in Sent or All Mail will send it to the trash.

The last new feature is the ability to report an email as phishing. These build on the features that were added to previous versions of Gmail for Android, which included easier access to recent labels, swiping to flip between conversations, notifications for individual labels, and offline syncing for up to 30 days of messages. Presumably, Gmail 4.2 will bring about some bug fixes, as well, as did 4.0.

This is a leaked version of the app. When Google releases it, you'll be able to update your current Gmail app from your smartphone via the Play Store. If the leaked app is released in the wild, you'll be able to run it if you have a rooted phone running at least Ice Cream Sandwich. Until either of these things happen, we'll just have to be patient while dreaming of pinch-to-zoom and swipe-to-delete goodness.

[via Android Police]