Google is ready to start showing ads in its Gmail app on Android smartphones, according to new code discovered in a recent update.
Artem Russakovskii of Android Police unpacked the .apk (Android Package) file for version 4.6 of the Gmail app for Android, currently deployed across handsets running Android 4.0 upwards, and discovered multiple mentions of adverts within the application code - including references to saving ads as messages and dismissing them.
Google's mobile apps for both Android and iOS have thus far stayed ad-free, unlike their desktop counterpart. That has included adverts above the Gmail inbox since 2004, and since May has added email-like advertising messages that appear within the 'Promotions' tab.
In August Google implemented mobile ad serving within the Google Maps app on both Android and Apple's iOS, with adverts showing up against searches for places, services and landmarks along with search results.
Source: The Guardian
