First Look: Google+ iPhone App [Updated]

Although the Google+ service itself is just a few weeks old, it seems like we’ve been waiting for its native iOS app forever. Luckily, today was the day it arrived in the App Store. Here is a look at the Google+ app for the iPhone/iPod touch, after playing around with it for a few hours. In its first release, the app includes three main sections; Circles, Stream, and Huddle. Circles gives you easy access to your list of friends and contacts. These are arranged either by People, which is an alphabetical list by first name, and by the Circles themselves. Streams is just that, a place where any message from you or one of your contacts reside. Naturally, this is also where you can share your thoughts and send them to your stream. Flicking your finger in a downward motion refreshes your stream while moving your finger to the left shows you whatever public Google+ messages have been posted near you. With each of your messages, you can signify who will receive them, either everyone or members of select circles. In addition, the app has a cool location feature, which allows you to tell your audience your exact (or near exact) location, right down to the street level. Under Photos, you’ll see photos from your Circles, photos of you, your albums, and photos located on your iPhone. A nice feature here is that the main photo from each separate album changes occasionally, so you’re always looking at something different. Two additional icons are also available within the Google+ app; Profile and Huddle. Profile is all about you. It includes your latest posts, photos, and About page. Keep in mind; you cannot actually edit anything from these pages. Profile is simply there so you can see how the rest of your Google+ friends see you online. Any changes must be made via the web. Finally, Huddle is a great tool where you can select different friends (regardless of their Circle) and send them one message. It should also be noted that on the main Google+ screen, you will see a notification box towards the bottom. Clicking on it will show you a list of any activity since the last time you used the social networking service. Final Thoughts We’ve got two final points worth mentioning for anyone interested in downloading and installing the Google+ app. First, the app does not currently include the site’s Hangout feature, which many Google+ users are beginning to use and seem to enjoy. Plus, the app will not play nice with iOS 5 beta, so we suggest our developer friends don’t even try. Overall, however, the Google+ app is a terrific Version 1.0 app and it is a great addition to the App Store. What do you think? Leave your comments below. Updated: We received word via Google+ that some users may have downloaded an app version that wasn't exactly ready for prime-time. As such, be sure you check your app's version number. To do this, click on the gear on the main Google+ app home screen. Your version should say 1.0.1.1809. If it does not, delete the app and download it again via the App Store.

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