Mail syncing- need thoughts

[jamieb63]

Hi all......
I use MacMail on my MacBook - we have a local fiber provider for email/internet-
I have an iPhone X -

The mail account is a POP setting for incoming mail - (guess I said that correctly)-
On the MacBook, I have rules set up for JUNK - etc...

On the iPhone, its set up exactly as my provider directs - BUT -
ALL the mail comes into my iPhone inbox, instead of Junk going to Junk -
Also - it seems there's no communication when I delete an email - i.e. if I delete an email on MacBook, its still on phone - and vice versa...

Causing a lot of redundant activity to clean up mailbox -
The provider says its an Apple setting issue - they cannot help.

Help and thoughts much appreciated!

J.

 

[IWT]

Hi Jamie

The behaviour you describe is a feature of a POP3 account.

What you desire would be completely possible if you converted the account to IMAP.

Most email providers actually prefer, and sometimes, pester people to change from POP3 to IMAP; so I would expect that this would be an easy option if you decided to do this.

Here's an article explaining the difference between these:


http://www.macworld.com/article/165...pop_email_account_to_imap.html#lsrc.rss_howto

Ian

 

[Slydude]

If your provider does not provided an IMAP account option (one of mine doesn't) there is a workaround that may help you. Set up an account with a provider that does support IMAP There are many that are free (iclooud works but there are others). Now go back to your current account and set it yo forward your mail to the new account. Now when you delete something from the new account it disappers from all devices.

 

[chscag]

Great idea Sly. Most mail providers have a free forward option which definitely comes in handy.

I want to point out something that folks may forget when switching from a POP3 to an IMAP account. Once you delete mail on any one of your devices that are using the same IMAP account, it disappears from all your devices as Ian pointed out above. This can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing. Example: That email from your boss that you deleted on your iPhone is nowhere to be found and it was something important.

Always move important email to a separate folder for safe keeping or archiving as it will be gone forever from your Mail provider's server. ;D

 

[Slydude]

Good idea Charlie.

I pulled that little fordwarding trick because my account with my ISP is POP and as far as I cabn dtell they do not offer IMAP. It wasn't a big deal till I started looking at syncing mail across a Mac (sometimes 2), iPhone, and iPad. I'd like to take credit for it but I think I read it somewhere.