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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

ISEE Gmail IMAP

I, like most everyone else, read about Gmail launching IMAP features tonight and immediately loaded up Gmail, heading straight for the 'Settings' area and then to 'Forwarding and POP' - only (like most people) to see no IMAP options yet available. Dejected I loaded up my Mail application and was I ever surprised when out of nowhere another one of my Gmail accounts (technically a Gmail for your Domain account) started loading in hundreds of messages I had already read long ago.

Annoyed, I logged in to the other Gmail account in question (which I hardly ever do) - and there is was in the 'Settings', right on the tab: 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP. The implementation of IMAP must have jostled something in that Gmail account and sent all my email via POP back at my mail app. No worries now, I can set it up via IMAP!

Moral of the story: if you have Google Apps for your Domain, check that account, it likely has IMAP enabled.

It's interesting that Google took so long to roll out a feature when not only did so many people want it - but they themselves state flat-out that they want you to use it (now that it's available) on the 'Getting Started with IMAP for Gmail' page:
If you're trying to decide between using POP and using IMAP with your Gmail account, we recommend IMAP.
What was already in my opinion the best online email option by far has now done two major improvements in a month to make it ever better.
1) Upping the storage significantly (current now at 4.3 GB)
2) IMAP

Now I have just a few more Gmail wishes to be fulfilled, #1 of which is easy account switching/linking for those of us with - ahem - several accounts.

Now to set it up with the iPhone...


[UPDATE]: Here's Google's official run down of the feature.

8 comments:

louisgray said...

I still don't see IMAP on my GMail. Could be because I don't use my GMail all that much, and they went with more frequent users first? Whatever the reason, I don't see it yet. Glad you're enjoying it.

MG Siegler said...

I'm not seeing it in my regular gmail account(s) yet - but I am in my google apps for you domain account.

I would guess everyone will start seeing it over the next few days.

Douglas said...

I don't see IMAP yet either... WTF!

MG Siegler said...

@douglas - IMAP is finally showing up across all my accounts now, however I've heard others that still aren't see it; Google is aware and supposedly working on it.

See here

Douglas said...

thanks mg - I'll let you know when it appears - I'm itching to get it going on my iphone!

Douglas said...

it's finally working for me!
if anyone else wants to set it up correctly, make sure to do this:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=77695&topic=12762
then this:
https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=77702
then this to sync folders correctly:
http://5thirtyone.com/archives/862

it works GREAT!

Douglas said...

whoops, the links didn't carry over in the previous comment:
1: http://tinyurl.com/ystfjd
2: http://tinyurl.com/2f9d37
3: http://5thirtyone.com/archives/862

regards!

MG Siegler said...

Thanks for the helpful links Douglas!

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