Mail limitations

[GridLokx]

Having just spent 5 hours searching the internet and trying various solutions, I would very much appreciate it if someone can shed light on how (or even if …) it is possible to deal with the limitations of Mail in iOS 9. I refer specifically to the inability to create folders/mailboxes as a means of archiving emails.

I recently bought my wife an iPad Mini 2, to enable her to access email in more comfort - she has a condition that makes sitting at a desk for an length of time, most uncomfortable. But I am unable to find a way in which she can organise those email she wishes to keep. There seems to be a consensus that if one's email server is configured for POP3, then Mail does not allow any sort of user determined archiving - this would certainly conform to my experience. One comment was that, is not a shortcoming of Apple, but rather a limitation imposed by the server-side set-up. Strange, really, since Apple's Mail program quite happily deals with exactly the same server, on my iMac! Nonetheless I went looking for a free app that could facilitate what Apple Mail clearly cannot. Most did not support POP accounts and my efforts to install the Mail.com was singularly unsuccessful, with an error message that repeatedly informed me that I did not have an internet connection … when I most certainly did.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I am loathe - and indeed cannot afford - to go through the hassle of changing my entire digital environment to, say, Android … which does seem to offer much more capabe products in this area. When I initially bought into the Apple ecology, the thing that impressed me was, just how user-friendly and useful it was. Unfortunately Apple seems to have lost its way. It seems that, in the process of chasing the ever more glitzy and technically impressive, it has foregone that which made - and would still make - it a system-of-choice, functionality in mundane but ultimately much more crucial matters, e.g. how to organise and access multi-focussed connectivity arising from email.

 

[Mickey330]

I, too, had issues in the past with POP mail and for the same reasons - I could not create folders for my mail on the iPad, my primary email viewer.

So, I kind of "cheated" to fix it. I created a Gmail e-mail account and then set the settings on my POP mail account (on the web, at the server level) so that the POP account would forward all the mail to that new Gmail account. I even set it so Google wouldn't even filter what it ID'd as SPAM - I get everything forwarded that is sent to that POP account.

Then, with that done, I added the Gmail account to my Mail app on the iDevices. SO, Now that the POP account has been finagled into an IMAP account, I can create and use folders all day on the iPad in the Mail app.

So, when people send mail to the POP e-mail, it auto-forwards to the Gmail account and no one knows the difference. I do, cause I can make folders.

I have retained the POP e-mail account on my iPad, mainly because sometimes I want the POP e-mail address to be my FROM address (If you answer an e-mail that was forwarded from the POP account, the FROM line shows the Gmail account; you may not want that...I've ceased to worry about it, tho YMMV).

I've had this forwarding system going for two or three years, now and it's working great. As far as I know, I've not lost any emails and it really is seamless.

I've said all this to say - maybe this can work for you/your wife? It's a one-time setup that covers up POP mail limitations. Just a thought...

Marilyn

 

[pauladev]

The latest iteration of the Gmail app for iPad, (not Inbox) claims you can add non-Gmail accounts directly to the app for normal use. I tried to follow the help instructions but foundered just after GMail App- Menu - touch down arrow to right of your account name. There is no arrow. This is supposed to bring up the options of adding Gmail accounts, pop or imap accounts or Exchange accounts. Has anyone succeeded yet? I am on iOS9 and latest Gmail app download.

 

[J. A.]

The latest iteration of the Gmail app for iPad, (not Inbox) claims you can add non-Gmail accounts directly to the app for normal use. I tried to follow the help instructions but foundered just after GMail App- Menu - touch down arrow to right of your account name. There is no arrow. This is supposed to bring up the options of adding Gmail accounts, pop or imap accounts or Exchange accounts. Has anyone succeeded yet? I am on iOS9 and latest Gmail app download.

That's not possible in the iOS app, only in the app for Android devices.
If you wish to add a non Gmail account, do this online using a browser.

 

[pauladev]

I see, I have re-read the app description carefully and can see that 'multiple accounts' out of the context of various help and forum pages, can be seen only to refer to Gmail accounts - and only 5 of them.
Back to square one then. The native iPad app provides more functions and facilities, and I will stick to that until Gmail provides the same functionality as it does on Android on my phone.