Best K-9 Settings for GMAIL

[baniels]

I need to setup K-9 on my Dad's Droid. I won't have the opportunity to tweak it, and I'm hoping I can get some advice before I do it.

He has two gmail accounts. One of which is a shell account for another custom domain email. Since the native Gmail app isn't smart enough to allow for a "Send-As" option, I need to setup another 3rd party app for email that can.

A while back I had installed it for him and it was working ok, though he reported some battery life issues as a result. Soon after, the program stopped working (may have been user error - Maybe he had changed his password).

It will be set up as IMAP. He also uses Outlook for the same account. He doesn't use gmail's labels very much, if at all, so I really only need the app to get his new inbox mail, and let him access sent mail. If he decides later to start using the labels instead of filing messages in his local PST, I will sort that out then.

Right now I am just looking to know the best settings so that his email pushes right away and that it isn't polling all of his folders every few minutes. Do I need to know anything special about folder classes?

I wouldn't ask if this was for me, because I can sit and tweak and experiment all day long. I can't align schedules with my father often enough to use that regular approach.

Thanks in advance.

 

[aminaked]

Enter "[Gmail]" as the namespace into K9's incoming server settings. Also in incoming settings map the sent folder to "Sent mail". Check delete from server when I delete.

If he wants to access different labels, I think he'll need to get rid of [Gmail] as the namespace but this seems to have some unfortunate side effects...making new labels in gmail called [Imap]Sent, etc.

 

[baniels]

Ok - interesting. I use [Gmail] instead of putting in the typical IMAP server settings that I would use in Outlook?

Enter "[Gmail]" as the namespace into K9's incoming server settings. Also in incoming settings map the sent folder to "Sent mail". Check delete from server when I delete.

If he wants to access different labels, I think he'll need to get rid of [Gmail] as the namespace but this seems to have some unfortunate side effects...making new labels in gmail called [Imap]Sent, etc.

 

[hookbill]

Just curious. If you have gmail as your email then why do you even need K9?

 

[baniels]

Because his non-gmail mail server has a very limited capacity. His only choice with that is POP, and he is better off using IMAP so he can have better continuity between Outlook and the phone. And his messages are safe rather than sitting on his harddrive.

I have his email forwarded to his new gmail account so he can use IMAP. He can't send from the native gmail app using his "real" address as the reply-to or sent-from address. Gmail in the browser can do this, and K-9 also allows this.

Just curious. If you have gmail as your email then why do you even need K9?

 

[aminaked]

Here are some links that may help you:

How do actions sync in IMAP? - Gmail Help

Supported IMAP client list - Gmail Help

K9 has more features than the stock app. You can select different From addresses at any time, set per account notifications sounds and lights, customize the look of the client (light or dark background, fonts).

I think most people should probably go with the Gmail app unless they have a specific reason to switch to K9. Actually, since Gmail uses IMAP both clients can be used concurrently.