Email 11 min read ·
Gmail POP3 Is Ending: How to Read Your Business Email
Gmail POP3 fetching and Gmailify end in January 2027, and new set-ups have already stopped. See every way to keep reading your business email in Gmail.
Gmail is removing "Check mail from other accounts", the setting that pulled mail from another address into Gmail over POP3, and Gmailify along with it. New set-ups stopped after the first quarter of 2026, and set-ups that already exist keep working only until January 2027, when Google also ends "Send mail as" for non-Google addresses. The Gmail app for Android and iPhone can still read and send your business email over IMAP, and most providers can still forward mail to your Gmail inbox.
The short version, as of 22 October 2026:
- On your phone: add your business address to the Gmail app as an IMAP account.
- On a computer: forward mail to Gmail from your provider, or use your provider's webmail or a desktop mail app.
- Replying as your business address through Gmail's "Send mail as" stops in January 2027.
- For your own domain inside Gmail on the web, the official route left is Google Workspace.
Is Gmail discontinuing POP3? The 2026 timeline
Yes, for collecting mail from other accounts. Google's help page Learn about upcoming changes to Gmailify & POP in Gmail says the "Check mail from other accounts" option "will no longer be available in Gmail on your computer". Its dates have changed twice, which is why older articles disagree. How the wording moved, checked against archived copies:
| When | What Google's help pages said |
|---|---|
| Late September 2025 | First notice: "Starting January 2026, Gmail will no longer provide support" for Gmailify and POP fetching (archived copy, October 2025). |
| By early February 2026 | Revised: support for new users stops by the first quarter of 2026; existing users can carry on until the feature is "turned down later in 2026". |
| By May 2026 | Current wording: "After the first quarter of 2026, this feature no longer supports new users. Existing users can still use the feature until January 2027." |
| Late July 2026 | A second notice adds that "Send as" for third-party addresses ends too, with in-product notifications for affected users (Google's third-party account changes page). |
| Rest of 2026 | Transition period: "Send as", Gmailify and POP keep working for existing users, but "Gmail may restrict new configurations". |
| January 2027 | Gmail "will fully remove 'Send as' for third-party accounts, Gmailify, and POP." |
So, in October 2026: if your Gmail already fetches mail from another account, it should still work until January 2027 (Google hasn't named a day). If you never set it up, the feature no longer supports new users. Messages already fetched stay in Gmail. Gmail's own POP and IMAP service is not ending: Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail can still read a Gmail account.
Why Gmail "check mail from other accounts" is not working
If the option is missing, or an account you added has stopped arriving, one of these is the usual reason:
- You are a new user of the feature. After March 2026, Gmail on the web no longer supports new POP fetching set-ups.
- The other account is Outlook or Hotmail. Google's help page for adding accounts on a computer says you can't add an Outlook account there, because Microsoft requires modern sign-in methods. It points you to the Gmail app instead.
- Your provider doesn't offer POP. For example, Zoho's pricing page lists "IMAP/ POP/ Active Sync not included" on the Forever Free plan.
- POP is switched off or the password is refused. Google suggests turning POP on at the other provider and, if you use two-step verification there, creating an app password. If Gmail shows an error, "Show error details" gives the exact reason.
- The account was linked with Gmailify. Gmailify gave Yahoo, Outlook and some other accounts Gmail's spam filtering and inbox categories. It is going away with POP.
Troubleshooting buys you a few weeks at most. From January 2027 every POP fetch stops, so move to one of the options below.
What changes in Gmail on the web, and what stays in the Gmail app
Gmail on a computer and the Gmail app are affected differently, according to Google's two help pages as of October 2026:
| Feature | Where | October 2026 | From January 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check mail from other accounts (POP) | Gmail on the web | Existing set-ups only | Removed |
| Gmailify | Gmail on the web and app | Existing links only | Removed |
| Send mail as a non-Google address | Web and app | Works; new set-ups may be blocked | Removed |
| Add another account over IMAP | Gmail app (Android, iPhone, iPad) | Works | Not changing |
| Automatic forwarding into Gmail | Set up at your other provider | Works | Not changing |
| One-time import of old mail | Gmail on the web | Works | Google says it stays |
| Send as another Gmail address or Workspace alias | Web and app | Works | Not affected |
How to read business email in Gmail: every option compared
These routes still work for an address on your own domain, whether it lives at Zoho, GoDaddy, Hostinger or a cPanel host:
| Option | Where you read it | Reply from your business address | Stays in sync with your mailbox | Extra cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail app with IMAP | Android, iPhone, iPad | Yes, through your provider's server | Yes | None |
| Forwarding to Gmail | Gmail on web and app | Only through "Send mail as", which ends January 2027 | No, Gmail gets copies | None |
| Provider's webmail or app | Browser, provider's app | Yes | Yes | None |
| Desktop mail app over IMAP | Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail | Yes | Yes | None for Thunderbird |
| One-time import | Gmail on the web | No | No, a one-off copy | None |
| Google Workspace | Gmail on web and app | Yes | Gmail becomes the mailbox | Per user, per month |
| Move to an IMAP mailbox | Webmail, Gmail app, any mail app | Yes | Yes | Depends on provider |
For most small businesses the practical answer is the Gmail app on the phone plus webmail or Thunderbird on the computer. If you live in Gmail on the web, forwarding covers incoming mail while you decide on Google Workspace.
Bringing old mail across with a one-time import
Google says you can still import mail and contacts on Gmail on the web, as a one-off that doesn't keep syncing. Open Settings, See all settings, Accounts and import, click Import mail and contacts and follow the steps. Google notes that Gmail keeps bringing in new messages from the other account for 30 days after an import.
How to add your business email to the Gmail app (IMAP)
This is Google's own recommended replacement. IMAP keeps mail on your provider's server, so the app matches webmail and your other devices. Steps from Google's guide to adding an account in the Gmail app.
On Android
- Open the Gmail app and tap your profile picture at the top right.
- Tap Add another account, then Other.
- Enter your full business email address, tap Next and choose Personal (IMAP).
- Enter your password, tap Next, then enter the incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) server details from your provider.
On iPhone or iPad
- Open the Gmail app, tap your profile picture, then Add another account.
- Choose Other (IMAP), enter your full address and tap Next.
- Enter the server settings and follow the on-screen steps.
To see Gmail and your business mail together, tap the menu at the top left and choose All inboxes. Typical server settings, from each provider's help pages in October 2026:
| Provider | Incoming (IMAP) | Outgoing (SMTP) |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Mail (paid plans, own domain) | imappro.zoho.com, port 993, SSL | smtppro.zoho.com, port 465 SSL or 587 TLS |
| Hostinger Email | imap.hostinger.com, port 993, SSL | smtp.hostinger.com, port 465 SSL (587 as a fallback) |
| cPanel hosts | Shown under Email Accounts, Connect Devices (cPanel docs) | |
| HostEthical Mail | mail.hostethical.com, port 993, SSL/TLS | mail.hostethical.com, port 465 SSL/TLS, or 587 STARTTLS |
- Username is normally your full email address.
- Zoho asks you to tick IMAP Access under Settings, Mail Accounts first, and to use an application-specific password if two-factor sign-in is on. Server names depend on your Zoho data centre, so check Zoho's settings. New Forever Free users don't get IMAP; see our Zoho Mail free plan guide.
- Certificate warnings usually mean a wrong server name or a problem at the provider. Use the exact host name your provider gives; don't switch security to None.
Set up automatic forwarding to Gmail, and its downsides
Forwarding is Google's suggested replacement for Gmail on the web. You set it up at your provider, not in Gmail.
- cPanel hosts: go to Email, Forwarders, Add Forwarder. Enter the part of the address before the @, pick the domain, choose Forward to Email Address and enter your Gmail address. cPanel's documentation says the original account keeps a copy of what it forwards.
- Zoho Mail (paid plans): Settings, Mail Accounts, choose the address, and add your Gmail address under Forwards. Zoho emails a code to Gmail, and forwarding starts only after you verify it. Zoho's forwarding help says new Free plan users don't get forwarding.
- Other providers: look for "forwarding" or "forwarders" in your control panel or help centre.
Know the trade-offs before relying on it for customer mail:
- Forwarded mail often fails SPF. Google's forwarding best practices say "forwarded messages often fail SPF authentication", because the message arrives from your provider's server, not the sender's. It then depends on its DKIM signature surviving; if that breaks and the sender has a strict DMARC policy, the mail can land in spam or be refused.
- Spam gets forwarded too. Google warns that if forwarded messages from a domain are marked as spam, later mail from that domain is more likely to be marked as spam. Filter spam at your provider before it is forwarded.
- Replies leave from your Gmail address. Hitting Reply in Gmail sends from @gmail.com unless you set up "Send mail as", which ends for non-Google addresses in January 2027.
- No sent copies in your business mailbox. Replies you send from Gmail stay in Gmail, so your provider's webmail never shows them.
Google's tip for fewer false spam flags, adding the original address under "Send mail as", stops working for non-Google addresses in January 2027. For the DNS records that help, see why business emails go to spam.
Does Gmail "Send mail as" still work with another SMTP server?
For now, yes, if it is already set up. It lives under Settings, See all settings, Accounts and import, "Send mail as": you add an address, enter your provider's SMTP server (Google lists SSL on port 465 or TLS on 587), username and password, then confirm a verification email.
Google's "Send emails from a different address" page now opens with a warning: "Starting January 2027, Gmail will no longer support the 'Send as' feature for third-party email addresses". Its changes page adds that you "will no longer be able to send mail from third-party email accounts in Gmail on the web or in the Gmail mobile apps". Two things are not affected: sending as another Gmail address you own, and Google Workspace aliases.
An IMAP account added to the Gmail app is different: it sends through your provider's server, and Google says app access for non-Google accounts is not changing. Google also warns against extensions that promise to bring "Send as" back, because they usually need your password or access tokens.
How to use Gmail with a custom domain, free or without Workspace
The free way to "use Gmail with your own domain" had two parts: a forwarding service to receive, such as Cloudflare Email Routing (free, but your domain must use Cloudflare DNS), and "Send mail as" through an SMTP service to reply. Receiving keeps working after January 2027; sending as your domain from Gmail does not. The realistic choices:
- Google Workspace, if you want your domain inside Gmail on the web. As of October 2026, Google's India pricing page lists Business Base at ₹99 per user a month (up to 20 users, 20 GB pooled storage each) and Business Starter at ₹270, both with a one-year commitment, billed monthly and excluding GST. There is a 14-day trial. It is the best fit if you work in Gmail on a computer.
- Zoho Mail, which has a free plan for one domain and up to five users with 5 GB each, offered only in some regions, but no IMAP, POP or forwarding for new sign-ups. See the Zoho Mail free plan post.
- An IMAP mailbox from your host or an email provider, read in the Gmail app on your phone and in webmail or Thunderbird on a computer.
HostEthical Mail is the last kind: Email 1 has one 10 GB mailbox and Email 5 has five, from ₹79 a month, or about ₹65.83 a month when billed yearly. It has no POP3, Exchange or shared calendars, which suits people who only need email. Our guides to creating an email address on your own domain and business email prices in India compare the rest.
Gmail custom domain not receiving emails: quick checks
- MX records. Your domain's MX records must point at the provider that holds your mailbox, and only that provider. Mixing old and new MX records splits your mail. DNS records explained shows how to check.
- Forwarding not verified. Zoho won't forward until you enter the code it sent to Gmail.
- Gmail's spam folder. Forwarded mail that fails authentication often lands there; mark good mail as not spam.
- Old POP fetching errors. If Gmail shows an error next to the account under Accounts and import, click "Show error details" for the reason. "Server denied POP3 access" usually means a wrong password or a missing app password.
- A full mailbox at the provider. If forwarding keeps a copy, the original mailbox can fill up and start bouncing mail.
Mail you send from your domain needs SPF, DKIM and DMARC as well, or it can land in your customers' spam folders; our spam fixes guide walks through all three.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gmail discontinued from POP3 support?
Only for fetching other accounts. Gmail stopped supporting new "Check mail from other accounts" POP set-ups after the first quarter of 2026, and existing ones work only until January 2027, when Google also removes Gmailify and "Send mail as" for non-Google addresses. Gmail's own POP and IMAP access is not ending, so Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail can still read a Gmail account.
How to read all emails on Gmail 2026?
On a phone, add each other address to the Gmail app for Android or iPhone as an IMAP account, then choose All inboxes from the menu to see everything in one list. On a computer, Gmail on the web no longer fetches other accounts for new users, so set up automatic forwarding at your other provider, or read that mail in its own webmail or a desktop mail app.
Can Gmail check other email accounts?
Yes in the Gmail app, but on the web only until January 2027. The Gmail app for Android, iPhone and iPad can add Outlook, Yahoo, Zoho or a business address over IMAP, and Google says that is not changing. Gmail on a computer still fetches accounts that were set up before the cut-off for new users, but all POP fetching ends in January 2027.
How do I add check mail from other accounts in Gmail?
Google no longer supports new set-ups: the feature stopped accepting new users after the first quarter of 2026 and ends for everyone in January 2027. Existing ones are under Settings, See all settings, Accounts and import. Instead, add the other address to the Gmail app on your phone as an IMAP account, or set up automatic forwarding to Gmail at your other email provider.