Google announced on Friday, July 20, that it has acquired Sparrow, the French startup behind the popular Sparrow email client for iOS and OS X, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is part of the search giant's efforts to tailor key software to run on its rival's hardware.

Google already offers a native iOS client for Gmail, its Web-based email service, but said it plans to use Sparrow's engineers for the ongoing development of Gmail. The company did not provide any specifics. Sparrow co-founder and CEO Dominique Leca also said on Friday that the startup's team will work on Gmail from now on.

"We're joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision," Leca wrote in a blog post. "While we'll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users."

A version of the Sparrow software for Macs has been available since early last year, and back in March a Sparrow email application for iPhones also became available for purchase in Apple's online App store. "The Sparrow team has always put their users first by focusing in building a seamlessly simple and intuitive interface for their email client," a Google spokesperson told The Verge. "We look forward to bringing them aboard the Gmail team, where they'll be working on new projects."

On the iTunes Store listing, Sparrow said there will be no further updates to its email client except for maintenance and bug fixes. Meanwhile, Google is expected to develop an improved native email client, which will give it a stronger position in competing with Apple Mail. Apple Mail is available on both iOS and OS X and allows users to access multiple email services, while the iOS Gmail client only deals with Gmail.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but "sources familiar with the situation" told The Verge that Google acquired Sparrow for under $25 million, and "there wasn't a bidding war surrounding the purchase."

"Our source couldn't specify a timeline, but the goal is to get the Paris-based Sparrow team in-house on the main Mountain View campus in California," reported the publication.

Future releases from the Gmail team may feature some Sparrow's work in its native iPad app, but the app will likely not be released in its Sparrow-branded form. It is unknown at this point when the Sparrow DNA will be integrated into Google's products. Meanwhile, the Sparrow iOS and OS X apps will continue to be available from Apple's App Store.