Gmail is Removing "Check Mail from Other Accounts"

Gmail's POP3 email fetching feature — which automatically pulled in emails from other accounts — is being discontinued in 2026. Here's what's changing, what it means for you, and the best alternative going forward.

📅 Effective 2026 📥 POP3 Fetching Removed ✅ IMAP is the Solution 📱 Mobile Apps Unaffected

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Quick Summary

What's changing and what stays the same

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POP3 fetching removed in 2026. Gmail will stop automatically checking and pulling in emails from other accounts.

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Old emails stay. Any messages already imported into Gmail before the change will remain in your inbox.

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Gmail mobile apps are unaffected. Android, iPhone and iPad Gmail apps still support adding accounts via IMAP.

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Best fix: use IMAP. Set up your other accounts in Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail using IMAP for reliable syncing.

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The Solution — Use IMAP in a Dedicated Email App

The modern, reliable alternative to POP3 fetching

To keep accessing your other email accounts after this change, set them up in a desktop or mobile email app using IMAP. IMAP keeps your email synced across all devices — when you read or delete a message in one place, it updates everywhere.

💼 Microsoft Outlook Windows & Mac

🦅 Mozilla Thunderbird Windows, Mac & Linux

🍎 Apple Mail macOS, iPhone & iPad

ℹ️ The Gmail mobile apps on Android, iPhone and iPad still support adding other accounts using IMAP — so you can continue reading and sending from multiple addresses in the Gmail app on your phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Any emails already imported into Gmail before the change will remain in your inbox. Gmail will simply stop fetching new messages from other accounts via POP3 going forward.

You can still send from your Gmail account, but Gmail won't automatically fetch new incoming messages from other accounts. To keep sending and receiving from multiple addresses reliably, use a dedicated email app with IMAP set up.

Use a desktop or mobile email app like Outlook, Thunderbird, or Apple Mail. Add all your accounts via IMAP to keep emails synced across all your devices. IMAP is the modern standard and far more reliable than POP3 fetching.

No. The Gmail mobile apps on Android, iPhone and iPad still support adding other accounts via IMAP. You can continue reading and sending from multiple accounts on your phone or tablet without any changes needed.

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For official details from Google, see the Gmail POP3 timeline & FAQ on Google Support →