This document explains how to manage POP and IMAP protocols using the Gmail API.
POP and IMAP are two ways to read your Gmail messages in other email clients. POP is an older technology that can only be used for a single computer. POP-based emails are downloaded and you decide how often you want to download new ones. IMAP can be used across multiple devices and emails are synced in real time.
You can use the settings
resource of
the Gmail API to configure how Gmail handles POP and
IMAP protocols:
POP
You can manage POP settings for an account using the PopSettings
object.
Enable and disable access
Control access with the accessWindow
field. This field determines whether POP is enabled and which messages the API
retrieves.
| Value | Effect |
|---|---|
disabled
|
No messages are accessible through POP |
allMail
|
All unfetched messages are accessible through POP |
fromNowOn
|
Only new messages are accessible through POP |
Message disposition
Configure the disposition of messages that the API retrieves with the disposition
field.
| Value | Effect |
|---|---|
archive
|
Move messages out of the INBOX
|
leaveInInbox
|
Do nothing; leave messages unread in the INBOX
|
markRead
|
Leave the message in the INBOX
and mark it as read |
trash
|
Move the message to the TRASH
|
IMAP
You can manage IMAP settings for an account using the ImapSettings
object.
Enable and disable access
Control access with the boolean enabled
field. This field determines whether IMAP is enabled for the account.
Message disposition
Configure the disposition of a message when it is marked as deleted and expunged
from the last visible IMAP folder with the expungeBehavior
field.
| Value | Effect |
|---|---|
archive
|
Move messages marked as deleted out of the INBOX
|
deleteForever
|
Permanently delete messages marked as deleted |
trash
|
Move messages marked as deleted to the TRASH
|
If the boolean autoExpunge
field is true
, Gmail immediately expunges a message when it is
marked as deleted in IMAP. Otherwise, messages remain until the IMAP client
explicitly requests their removal.
