Yes, you can add a Gmail account to your iPhone or iPad. To use it in Apple’s Mail app, open Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account, choose Google, sign in, turn on Mail, and tap Save. If you’d rather use Google’s own app, install Gmail from the App Store and sign in there.
The Mail steps come from Apple’s Add an email account to your iPhone or iPad and Add and remove email accounts on iPhone; the permission. The Gmail app steps and sign-in advice come from Google’s Add another email account in the Gmail app and Add Gmail to another email client. The two methods are separate: signing in to one doesn’t add the account to the other.
How to add Gmail to Apple Mail on iPhone or iPad
- Open Settings, then tap Apps > Mail.
- Tap Mail Accounts > Add Account.
- Enter your Gmail address, or choose Google if a provider list appears.
- Complete Google’s sign-in, including any 2-Step Verification prompt. Google then asks you to Allow access.
- Turn on Mail, plus Contacts, Calendars, or Notes if you want those synced, then tap Save (or Next, then Save).
Result: the Gmail inbox appears in the Mail app. Apple notes that if you set up several accounts, you can choose which one to send from when you write a message.
Running iOS 17 or earlier? Apple’s iOS 17 guide starts at Settings > Mail > Accounts instead of Settings > Apps.
How to add Gmail in the Gmail app
- Install the Gmail app from the App Store and open it.
- Tap your profile picture at the top right, in the search bar.
- Tap Add another account > Google and follow the on-screen steps. Google says 2-Step Verification users will be asked to verify from a prompt on their device.
- To see every account together, tap Menu at the top left, then All inboxes.
Result: the account appears in the Gmail app’s profile menu. Google says you can add up to 5 email addresses, including non-Gmail accounts like Outlook, iCloud Mail, or Yahoo.
Change Mail settings after adding Gmail
- Fetch schedule: Apple says accounts that don’t support Push can use Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Fetch New Data. The default, Automatically, downloads new mail when the device is charging and on Wi-Fi; choose a timed schedule to check more often.
- Notifications: go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Notifications > Customize Notifications, tap the Gmail account, and turn on Alerts or Badges, per Apple.
- Pause the account: open the account under Mail Accounts and turn off Mail. Turn it back on anytime.
If Gmail won’t sign in or sync
- Use Sign in with Google: Google says Gmail no longer supports apps that ask you to share your Google username and password directly. Choosing Google in Mail uses Google’s sign-in instead.
- IMAP is already on: Google says that starting January 2025, IMAP is always turned on for personal Gmail accounts. See our Gmail IMAP guide for why the old Enable IMAP setting is gone.
- Changed your password? Google says you may need to re-enter your account or set it up again. App passwords aren’t recommended and are unnecessary in most cases.
- Too many connections: Google allows Gmail in up to 15 email clients at a time per account.
- Forgot your password? Use our Google Account recovery guide.
How to remove Gmail from your iPhone or iPad
In Apple Mail, go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, tap the Gmail account, and tap Sign Out or Delete Account. Apple says this removes it from Mail and every app using it on the device, but doesn’t cancel the account. In the Gmail app, Google’s path is Profile > Manage accounts on this device > Remove from this device. For other devices, see how to log out of your Google Account.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add more than one Gmail account?
Yes. Repeat the Mail steps for each account, or use Add another account in the Gmail app. Google caps the Gmail app at 5 addresses.
Will my Gmail contacts show up too?
Only if you turn on Contacts when you add the account to Mail. For the full steps, see how to sync Google Contacts to iPad.
Related guides
- How to enable IMAP in Gmail
- How to get your Gmail contact list on your iPad
- How to change your Gmail password on an iPad
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.