You are a loyal Gmail user and have gotten into the habit of centralizing all your emails there, regardless of their origin? This month could disrupt your digital routine. Indeed, Google has quietly announced changes that could affect how you manage your emails. What do these changes mean for you and how can you prepare for them?
The 3 key points not to miss
- End of the POP3 protocol: Google is ceasing support for the POP3 protocol, impacting the retrieval of emails from third-party services.
- End of Gmailify: The feature allowing Gmail algorithms to be applied to other email accounts is also being removed.
- New management method: Users will now need to enable automatic forwarding from their other email accounts to Gmail.
Google ends the POP3 protocol
Google has decided to withdraw support for the POP3 protocol, used to retrieve emails from third-party services like Yahoo, Outlook, or Orange to Gmail. This change directly affects users who relied on this protocol to centralize their messages. While POP3 was appreciated for its simplicity, it had security flaws, notably by often transferring credentials and passwords in plain text.
Gmailify and its features come to an end
With the end of Gmailify, users lose a feature that allowed Google’s sophisticated algorithms, such as automatic sorting and spam filtering, to be applied to external addresses. This feature offered additional convenience without requiring a change of email address. Now, users will need to find alternatives to maintain an equivalent level of management and security.
Automatic forwarding, a new necessary approach
To continue centralizing their emails in Gmail, users must now set up automatic forwarding from their other email accounts. This method reverses the usual process, requiring third-party servers to “push” emails to Gmail. This option depends on the availability of the forwarding feature with the external email provider.
Impact on the mobile app and alternatives on computers
Fortunately for mobile users, the Gmail app on Android and iOS remains functional with third-party accounts thanks to the IMAP protocol, which synchronizes messages in real-time. For computer users, using a dedicated email manager like Thunderbird becomes a viable solution to manage multiple accounts without difficulty. Each account will need to be configured individually to ensure smooth email management.
Google and its role in the evolution of email protocols
Google has always played a central role in the innovation of email services. By introducing advanced features like Gmailify, the company has attracted a large audience eager to benefit from optimized email management. However, with the evolution of security standards and new user expectations, Google chooses to focus on more modern protocols such as IMAP, offering real-time synchronization and enhanced security.