Gmail Users Get IMAP Support

Google has announced today that users of its free email service will now have the option of enabling IMAP support to access their email from more places.

For those of you who may not know, IMAP is an internet protocol that allows a local client to access email on a remote server. Perhaps the most beneficial feature is the ability to access one email inbox from multiple clients.

For Gmail users, this means now being able to sync your inbox across all of your devices and mail clients instantly and automatically. “It keeps the same information synced across all devices so that whatever you do in one place shows up everywhere else you might access your email,” says David Murray, Associate Product Manager of Gmail.

This means that if a user reads an unread email or stars and email on their desktop email client, those changes will immediately be present when accessing the inbox from, say, a mobile phone.

“For the past few years, we've offered POP access, which is similar to IMAP but lacks one critical feature,” noted Mr. Murray. “Your changes made on other devices aren't seen in Gmail when you log back in. Instead you are presented with a list of unread mail, and you must re-read and re-sort everything.”

To enable the new feature, users must simply click on the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab in Gmail settings to turn it on. After checking my own Gmail accounts, I discovered that this features is not yet available, but Google has stated, “Don't fret if you don't see 'IMAP Access' yet under the Settings menu. We're rolling it out to everyone over the next few days.” Currently the tab only reads “Forwarding and POP,” so expect that to change when the feature is active.

To help users set up IMAP support, Google has posted a video which explains how to set it up on an iPhone, and also has updated it's Help Center with useful information and supported clients.

Since its launch, Gmail has been the trendsetter to follow when it comes to what to expect from a free online email service. Now with IMAP access, it is anyone's guess who will be next to follow. Maybe Hotmail? Perhaps, Yahoo! Mail?