How to download a PDF file from gmail

[Lou Ann]

I have received an email that has included an attachment that I want to download onto my iPad. When I select download I do not know where to go to retrieve it? Can someone help me with this?

 

[leelai]

Hi and welcome to the Forum!

You will need an app for it to go into. The easiest way is to just download iBooks. Then go to your email and long press the PDF, you should then get a popup to Open In and you should see iBooks. Just press iBooks and it will be saved there.

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[my kikia]

I have an iPad mini with ios7. I can open a PDF from gmail. But can't save. When I long press on the PDF attachment, I have the option to "open" (not "open in"), "add to reading list" and "copy" only. I tried " add to reading list" but don't know where it goes to. I am not sure what the PDF opens in. There is no indication of this nor are there any options available. How do I save?

 

[twerppoet]

I have an iPad mini with ios7. I can open a PDF from gmail. But can't save. When I long press on the PDF attachment, I have the option to "open" (not "open in"), "add to reading list" and "copy" only. I tried " add to reading list" but don't know where it goes to. I am not sure what the PDF opens in. There is no indication of this nor are there any options available. How do I save?

Assuming you are using the Mail app.

Open usually means that the picture of file is not an attachment, but an inline link to a picture on the web. Taping it will open Safari to that link. The fact that you got the Reading List options indicates the same. Reading list saves an article or website to the Reading List in Safari, so that you can read it later. You'll find the reading list in Safari under the Bookmarks (book) icon; top right.

To save a PDF that you've received this way, go ahead and Open it in Safari. If it opens a site, then open the PDF from there. If it opens directly into the PDF, then tap in the center of the screen to see the Open/Save options; at the top right if I remember correctly.


What you should get in Mail when tap/holding an attachment is this.



You will need to have a PDF app installed to get options to open (and store) the PDF in another app. The same or similar dialog will appear in Safari when you try to save a PDF from there.


If you are using the GMail app, or site, the menus and options may look a bit differnt, but the resutls will be the same. You must have a PDF compatible app installed on the iPad to open/save the PDF outside the mail app.

Some examples of PDF reading apps:

Apple's iBooks app will store and read PDF files. Hold in mind that it will not back them up, so don't' use it for files you can't afford to loose; unless you also store them elsewhere. DropBox, Box, or another cloud service will work fine.

I like PDF Expert for my more serious PDF needs. It's a good reader, has excellent annotation tools, and can do some limited editing of PDF's (move, delete, add, combine pages).

Though I have not done so, I believe the Kindle app will also let you import PDF files for reading.

Goodreader is a good all a round PDF reader/annotation app with some handy file management features.

There are many, many more.





Good luck.

 

[Gaillen]

twerppoet you are incorrect. You assumed that all apps would respond the same as the Apple made Mail but that is not the case. The Google App does not give you direct access to saving it to iBooks or Adobe Acrobat Reader app. I have no idea if this is an Apple limitation on what features they are allowing Google to use on the device or if Google is just weird about how they handle files. Certainly Google like doing cloud solutions rather than device.

Does anyone else have suggestions? I use my Mail app for work and Gmail app for personal. The behavior on pressing and holding over a PDF is entirely different. Right now I send to myself at work if I need a PDF sent to my personal email downloaded to my iPhone or iPad. iOS 7 in both cases.

One solution I can think of that would be slightly less bothersome is to set up the apple Mail app to also check the Gmail. I just like having separate alert counts for work and personal but if you were only doing personal email you could set up Apple Mail app to simultaneously check your Gmail, but turn off all alerts and badge icons. Then you could still use the Gmail app for its Google centric features but have immediate access to file attachments in a fully Apple supported fashion.​

 

[twerppoet]

I just checked, and you are right. Google's Gmail app does not offer the Open In options. This would be a choice by Google, since the functionality is available for any app developer. No idea why Google chose not to use it. It works in the Yahoo Mail app (though you have to view the document, not just tap-hold on the attachment link)

It is still possible to retrieve a PDF from Gmail without Apple's Mail.

The ridiculously roundabout method is:

If you open the attachment in the Gmail app (tap on it, or tap and hold, then choose Open), it will give you a readable view of the PDF. In the lower right corner there is a box/arrow icon, with the option to Open In Safari. Unfortunately this does open the document. It opens the web version of Gmail, where you have to open the PDF to view again.

However, once the PDF is viewable in Safari, tap in the center and look for the Open In (default app) and Open In options at the right top of the document. Tap Open In to get the same app options as I described for Apple's Mail app.

Or, if you know you've got attachments to deal with, just go to Gmail in Safari to begin with.

You also have the option to Open in Chrome (if you have it installed). I did not explore this option. It probably works like the Safari option in opening the Gmail site, but if Google is being consistent (not something they are known for) then it may or may not offer the ability to open the document in another app when it's being viewed.


As you say, another solution is to simply set up the Gmail account in the Mail app, and use it when needed. As for keeping your personal and business accounts separate, you don't have to use the All Inboxes folder in Mail. Instead, choose your other account's Inbox under Accounts, and only switch to the Google account when you need it.

Of course, if you have more than two accounts, one which you ignore most of the time, that won't work as neatly.

If there is a third option it is probably a third party email app that works with Gmail. I haven't explored any of these, being mostly happy with Mail. I can't recommend any.

Good luck.

NICE

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[J. A.]

The Mailbox app works with Gmail and gives the option to "Open In...".




This is what it looks like.