- POP3 phased out – use IMAP to link other accounts to your Gmail mobile app
- Gmailify also axed, pulling Gmail features like spam protection from third-party email providers
- Businesses can migrate easily with Workspace, consumers will have a harder time changing providers
Google will no longer fetch emails from third-party accounts into your Gmail account via POP3 beginning January 2026, which means your account might no longer serve as an appropriate home for all things email.
The support article also details the end of Gmailify from January 2026, which means previously eligible third-party accounts will no longer get access to some of Gmail’s best features, like spam protection.
Although Google has not publicly confirmed the reason behind its decision, removing POP3 is probably a security move given that the protocol shares passwords in plaintext.
Gmail is ending POP3 and Gmailify for third-party accounts
Google’s support page explains that affected users with third-party accounts will no longer be able to access the mail provider’s class-leading spam protection, enhanced mobile notifications, inbox categories, or advanced search options.
It doesn’t mean it’s the end of third-party emails within the Gmail app – users can still access them via IMAP, but with the above limitations in place. Checking emails from other accounts in Gmail on the web will also no longer be possible.
Clearly, the tech giant wants consumers to migrate to Gmail for access to its full list of features, however those who prefer not to can still set up email forwarding from their third-party account to their Gmail address if they need access from all mobile and desktop instances of Gmail.
Separately, Gmailify was launched in 2016 to bring Gmail’s features to Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail/Outlook.com. It was positioned as an option for those who weren’t ready to migrate from their preferred or previous account.
The security-focused changes will likely affect consumers more. Business users can use Google’s data migration service (part of their Workspace accounts) to move from another provider.
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