Mail imap and pop
Mail is very important for everyone, but not always every settings is very obvious.
Introduction
There are 2 different mail usages for incoming mail:
- POP, Post Office Protocol.
Downloads the messages, while removing the messages from the server. The emails are then no longer accessible via webmail or a mail program. - IMAP, Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). The preferred way. Better than POP.
allows multiple clients to access the same mailbox, while keeping the email messages available on the server for later access via webmail.
There is one mail method for the outgoing mail:
- SMTP, Simpel Mail Transfer Protocol is the most used protocol for sending messages to a mail server for relaying, and typically submit outgoing email to the mail server.
These days IMAP and SMTP are the most used on all devices.
Traditional Setup Multiple Devices
- Use IMAP account on iPhones, iPads, Laptops
- Have one POP account on a (large) desktop computer to hold all mail-messages and to remove the mail-messages from the server.
- The biggest advantage of this setup is that mail-messages are removed and can be accessed on all devices, until they are removed by the POP account.
- The biggest disadvantage is that, when the POP account the mail-messages has removed, these messages are only available on the desktop.
In practice when the iMac-desktop is in sleep mode and the mail account is active, the mail is read and downloaded. Meaning the messages are not read on your iPhone.
IMAP remove server mail-messages
IMAP can be configured to delete mail-messages [1].
When IMAP removes mail-messages it does exactly what POP does. There must be something better than that.
POP Delay
In Apple Mail you can set up the mail behavior of your POP account.
- Open Mail-app
- Choose Mail → Preferences
- Choose required Mail-Account
- Choose the tab Mailbox behaviors
Will be continued...
