- POP3 deprecated – use IMAP to link other accounts to your Gmail mobile app
- Gmailify also grabbed and pulled Gmail features like spam protection from third-party email providers
- Businesses can easily migrate with Workspace, consumers will have a harder time switching providers
Google will no longer fetch email from third-party accounts to your Gmail account via POP3 starting in January 2026, which means your account may no longer serve as a suitable home for all things email.
The support article also details the end of Gmailify as of January 2026, meaning that previously eligible third-party accounts will no longer have access to some of Gmail’s best features, such as spam protection.
Although Google has not publicly confirmed the reason behind its decision, the removal of POP3 is likely a security move since the protocol shares passwords in clear text.
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 email provider’s class-leading spam protection, enhanced mobile notifications, inbox categories or advanced search capabilities.
That doesn’t mean it’s the end of third-party emails in the Gmail app—users can still access them via IMAP, but with the above restrictions in place. It will also no longer be possible to check e-mails from other accounts in Gmail on the web.
It’s clear that the tech giant wants consumers to migrate to Gmail to access its full list of features, but those who prefer 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 were not ready to migrate from their preferred or previous account.
The security-focused changes are likely to 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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