Gmail goes IMAP

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:05

Your IT - Home IT

Google has added IMAP support to Gmail, a move that will make life easier for those who use the free email service from multiple devices but don't want to be restricted to the web interface.

Previously, users had two choices: web mail, or downloading messages to an email client using POP (Post Office Protocol). The latter makes Gmail look like a 'regular' mail account as provided by most ISPs. By using settings that tell the client not to delete messages from the server, the same mail can be accessed from, say, a Linux system in the office, a Windows PC at home, and an iPhone while travelling.

But there is a fly in the ointment. If you file a message in a particular folder on one device, you're only filing the copy that was downloaded to that device. Read a message in Thunderbird, file it under 'Renovation', and when you next use Outlook Express that message will still be in the inbox.

That's where IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) comes in. IMAP was designed for situations where mail is left on the server and accessed by multiple clients. So when you file that message under 'Renovation', that's where it will appear in every client.

Perhaps the best way to visualise what's happening is to think in terms of POP delivering messages to your client, while IMAP lets your client display messages that are on the server.

IMAP is supported by a wide range of email clients including Outlook, Outlook Express, (Mac OS X) Mail, Entourage, Novell GroupWise, Eudora, Thunderbird and even the text-based UW PINE and Mutt. Google offers setup instructions for the more popular programs.

Mobile devices supporting IMAP include BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Mobile based models. Gmail's IMAP implementation is not currently compatible with Palm's VersaMail

"As we roll out the feature over the next couple of days, you will be able to use Gmail at work, in your car, or just about anywhere on any device, and actions you take will be automatically synced with Gmail on the web (and remember it works the other way too: anything you do on the Web will be seen on your phone or in your mail client)," said Google associate product manager David Murray.

"Just click the 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' tab in your Gmail settings and turn it on," he added.

Note that IMAP is being progressively activated on Gmail accounts over the next few days, so if the setting isn't there, try again later.