Google’s Getting Rid of a Way to Import Third-Party Accounts Into Gmail
If you use multiple email accounts through your Gmail, you may want to check your settings this month as Google is ending support for the POP3 protocol which can sync emails from third-party accounts. And while there are other solutions, they don’t work quite the same way.
POP3 is an older standard for synchronizing emails across multiple accounts that allowed users to import emails from a third-party account and manage them in one place. This is also a less secure method of email transfer. So it’s not entirely surprising that Google is phasing it out, but the company hasn’t publicized the change too loudly, so it might surprise some users.
How to make your third-party accounts work in Gmail
If you’re still using POP3 to retrieve your emails from a third-party account, there are a few ways to fix this before Google pulls the plug:
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Forward emails from your other accounts. Rather than letting Gmail contact your third-party accounts, you can set up automatic forwarding on the other end. How to do this depends on the email providers you use. So check your third-party account settings for transfer options.
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Use IMAP to check your emails from Gmail apps. In the Gmail app for Android and iOS, you can connect to third-party email accounts that support IMAP connections.
The IMAP protocol works a little differently than POP3. While POP3 imports messages into your Gmail but leaves the original, IMAP syncs between your accounts. So if you use the Gmail app to check your emails and delete some messages, they will disappear if you check the original account later.
What do you think of it so far?
Google’s support document states that this change will take effect “starting in January 2026” without a more specific time frame. As of this writing, POP3 support still works on my own email accounts, so it’s not disabled yet, but it’s a good idea to update your email setup as soon as possible.
