MacOS Update Breaks Apple Mail For Many Gmail Users

A number of Mac users are reporting that the latest update to macOS has made it impossible to access Gmail using the Apple Mail app, and is so far unfixable.

The reports, on sites including Apple support forums and Twitter, indicate that installing macOS 10.14.4 has made users unable to authenticate their Gmail account in Apple Mail. The new version of macOS was released Monday.

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One user experiencing the issue is Jerry Zigmont, owner of MacWorks, a New Haven, Conn.-based Apple consultancy. Zigmont told CRN that, like users who have reported the problem online, he was prompted to re-authenticate his Gmail account for use in Apple Mail after installing macOS 10.14.4.

But the attempt at re-authenticating ends up failing and leaving him "stuck in a loop," Zigmont said, just as other users have reported.

"There's no way to reconcile it at this point," Zigmont said—adding that he sees it as "unconscionable" for Apple to release a new version of macOS with a bug as problematic as this one.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zigmont said his managed services clients are not affected because "we control when they update and when they don't update."

"For this very reason, we hold back [on macOS updates] so we can test things," Zigmont said. "This is a good example of why someone would want to sign up for that service."

The disclosure of the macOS bug follows an event Apple held on Monday to announce a number of new services. Those included an original video content service, Apple TV+, that will feature projects from the likes of Oprah, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Aniston.

"Apple proudly had this event where they marched out celebrities" to promote Apple TV+, on the same day the company was releasing a buggy macOS update, Zigmont said. "I'd really appreciate if they'd just do what they're supposed to do first."