[At your own risk] How to get Gmail for ICS on your Honeycomb device

If you saw our coverage of the Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.0 and you were wondering how you can get that fancy new Gmail app on your Honeycomb tablet, you've come to the right place.


Thanks to some folks over at XDA you can now get the brand spanking new Gmail app which allows you to swipe between emails as well as sync up to 30 days of emails to make it available for searching offline.

If you want to install this bad boy on your tablet then keep reading.



Note: Root access on your Honeycomb device is required

1. Download the APK file to your device from here
2. Backup your device, I recommend Nandroid and a full Titanium Backup (Including system apps). You can read our guide on how to do this if you're unsure. 
3. Install Root Explorer ($4.99) or ES File Explorer from Android Market

From here I'll show you how to use ES File Explorer to copy the Gmail APK to the right directory, if you use Root Explorer the steps will differ, but the general idea should be the same.

Open ES File Explorer and Select Menu

 Now Select Settings

You should see a screen similar to the one below.

Scroll down until you see a tick box titled: Root Explorer and select the Tick - assuming you have root access you will be asked for permission, so select Yes to grant ES File Explorer root permissions. Wait a few seconds before continuing.

Select the tick box next to Mount File System - This allows you to copy files to the System directory

Select Home Directory

Delete the text /sdcard/ so it reads / and select OK - This gives you access to the system directory, among other things.

Press Back

Press the folder up icon

Now you're going to want to rename the existing Gmail.apk so you need to move to the directory where it is.

Select first the System folder icon, then the App folder icon and you should now see a directory similar to the screenshot below

Long press on the Gmail.apk icon

Select Rename on the pop up menu that appears

Change the name to Gmail.apk.bak and select OK

Now you need to move the new Gmail.apk file into this directory to complete your work.
Select the Up Folder icon twice

Select the sdcard directory. (This folder may be called something different depending upon your device). You should see all of your familiar folders and files.

From here you need to find where you saved the new Gmail.apk file - for example mine is in the Download folder.

Hold down on the Gmail.apk file until the Operations popup menu appears. Select Copy

Now press the Up Folder button twice

Select the System folder and then the App folder once again

Press the Menu button

Select Operations

Select Paste from the Operations menu

Now hold down the power button on your device and power it off, and back on again afterwards. Alternatively if you have a method of rebooting your phone, use that. If your device fails to boot for whatever reason, remember that you backed up before we began.

If your device booted successfully then congratulations - you now have the latest and greatest version of Gmail! Try swiping between emails to test it out.