So, whenever you delete a message from your inbox or a folder, or send a new message, you won’t be able to see that this has happened if you access the same account from a different device.

On the other hand, POP email protocol downloads all email messages from the mail server onto the email program on your device, and then deletes all the downloaded messages from the server. IMAP stores all your messages and email folders on the server, which means that every time you log on, regardless of which device, your emails and folders will be accessible. This might depend on the mail program on their computer, the mobile device they use, or the type of access they need.įor example, if you only use Gmail in your browser, then accessing Gmail via the IMAP protocol should be sufficient. It’s up to the user to determine which suits them best. It also offers Post Office Protocol (POP) mail server access.īoth IMAP and POP mail servers both handle email messages, but in slightly different ways. Gmail, Google’s internet-based email service, runs on the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) system.

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