So is it iOS 9 that destroyed the iPhone's ability to provide basic email functionality?

[iphonedude2008]

You understand that most of these 3rd party apps use OAuth and what that does right? It gives the app access to the data without the password. That's why like when you sign in with gmail is asks you to approve the app- give it access to data but NOT your password.

People concerned about "giving a 3rd party mail app their email passwords" clearly have no idea how OAuth works and shouldn't be spreading complete FUD otherwise.

Thank you for this. It was an interesting read.

 

[stulaw11]

Thank you for this. It was an interesting read.

I just wish people would educate themselves or Google stuff before making outlandish tin foil hat statements about security that are wrong and incite others into wrong info too.

Most of the major 3rd party email apps (Cloudmagic, Spark, Outlook, Boxer, etc) I've ever tested/used support OAuth and Gmail definitely does- I'm not sure specifically what other email services do or dont as I only use gmail accounts.

Again that's why you get that screen that says accept or deny to approve the app after singing in directly to google. Google communicated the data directly to the approved app without even transmitting the password. Once you revoke access to the app the data stream is cut off. The app never sees your password.

Lets not forget the part where you should 10000000% have 2 factor set up on your email accounts to begin with if you're concerned about security. Without the 2nd factor it really doesnt matter who has your password too much (it does to some extent of course I guess if you have dozens of hours to guess a 4 digit code and the 10,000 possibilities- that's if you dont get locked out for too many attempts first). They'd have to somehow get the text message from your device for that 2nd factor to log in once you cut it off.

There's nothing "unsafe" about using a 3rd party email app if you have a proper setup to begin with that is security-minded.

 

[sunking101]

You understand that most of these 3rd party apps with major email services (like gmail) use OAuth and what that does right? It gives the app access to the data without the password. That's why like when you sign in with gmail is asks you to approve the app- give it access to data but NOT your password.

People concerned about "giving a 3rd party mail app their email passwords" clearly have no idea how OAuth works and shouldn't be spreading complete FUD otherwise.

I wasn't spreading any FUD. I merely said that I (personally) wouldn't trust these smaller clients with my emails and that there are security issues 'by all accounts'. That's based on things I've read, not on personal experience. I never actually claimed anything, and nor did I mention passwords. I just wouldn't be comfortable with my emails coming through their servers and if I "clearly have no idea" then that's fine, I wasn't stating anything.

 

[iphonedude2008]

I wasn't spreading any FUD. I merely said that I (personally) wouldn't trust these smaller clients with my emails and that there are security issues 'by all accounts'. That's based on things I've read, not on personal experience. I never actually claimed anything.

Oh that makes more sense. You mean you're concerned about the data they already have access to. In that case, OAuth wouldn't been much help in protecting you.

 

[Chundles]

I'm really confused. I've been using a succession of iPhones exclusively for about a decade now and never had the slightest issue with my email functionality. My needs are very simple. I use the standard, organic iPhone email program to monitor a single, solitary EarthLink email account. A MacBook Pro at home - again using the default OSX email program - also receives emails on this account and it is when I delete or transfer emails on this laptop that they are removed from the EarthLink server.

I don't know that a person's email needs can get any simpler than that. Heretofore, deleting emails, or transferring them to folders, on my laptop had no effect on my ability to interact with the same email once it had been downloaded to my iPhone. Recently, however, I upgraded from the 5 to the 6S Plus. Now, half the time I go to view an email on my phone it says "message not downloaded from the server". As well, I just had an important email that I was composing on my iPhone vanish into the ether with the same message displayed. This was particularly frustrating insofar as this message had never been uploaded to any server - it had only ever existed on my phone.

So just what in the hell is going on? Am I missing some simple setting? Does this have anything to do with all the goddamned "iCloud" ********* that Apple now seems to determined to shove down our throats at every opportunity? Or is there just some new basic level of incompetence now at work?

POP account? Make sure your computer isn't set to delete the message from the server after receiving it. The most rapid fetch setting on the iPhone is "Every 15 minutes" whereas the computer can pull them in much faster. If it deletes the message from the server before your phone can get it then there's a problem.

 

[Chundles]

Funny you would say that, after installing iOS 9.1 I started getting the following error from time to time:

I had this issue from about half-way through iOS 8. Was hoping iOS 9 would fix it but it looks like a Gmail problem. I just ignore it and it eventually goes away.

 

[stulaw11]

Oh that makes more sense. You mean you're concerned about the data they already have access to. In that case, OAuth wouldn't been much help in protecting you.

Other than that 99% of commercial email services themselves ALREADY scan your email for ad purposes- or at least have access to the data in your email. Again, it's a lot of what ifs and nothing concrete to show that any of these apps from trusted devs around for years and years (Readdle, Microsoft, Cloudmagic, Dropbox/Boxer) are somehow dangerous or have any interest in your data.

 

[C DM]

You understand that most of these 3rd party apps with major email services (like gmail) use OAuth and what that does right? It gives the app access to the data without the password. That's why like when you sign in with gmail is asks you to approve the app- give it access to data but NOT your password.

People concerned about "giving a 3rd party mail app their email passwords" clearly have no idea how OAuth works and shouldn't be spreading complete FUD otherwise.

Quite a few of them don't work that way, especially those that provide push type of notifications for accounts like Gmail, which will ask you to provide your credentials through their app.

 

[Cody1122]

I'm really confused. I've been using a succession of iPhones exclusively for about a decade now and never had the slightest issue with my email functionality. My needs are very simple. I use the standard, organic iPhone email program to monitor a single, solitary EarthLink email account. A MacBook Pro at home - again using the default OSX email program - also receives emails on this account and it is when I delete or transfer emails on this laptop that they are removed from the EarthLink server.

I don't know that a person's email needs can get any simpler than that. Heretofore, deleting emails, or transferring them to folders, on my laptop had no effect on my ability to interact with the same email once it had been downloaded to my iPhone. Recently, however, I upgraded from the 5 to the 6S Plus. Now, half the time I go to view an email on my phone it says "message not downloaded from the server". As well, I just had an important email that I was composing on my iPhone vanish into the ether with the same message displayed. This was particularly frustrating insofar as this message had never been uploaded to any server - it had only ever existed on my phone.

So just what in the hell is going on? Am I missing some simple setting? Does this have anything to do with all the goddamned "iCloud" ********* that Apple now seems to determined to shove down our throats at every opportunity? Or is there just some new basic level of incompetence now at work?

I have the same problem. I have been using iPhones for years and Earthlink for my basic email account without issues until IOS 9. Since this version when I check my email it will download lets say 20 emails. If I go to read just 1 email and then go back to the Inbox, all of my just downloaded emails are gone..just vanished. And then to make it worse I have the setting for Email / Account / Advanced / Deleted Messages / set to Never, thus it should never delete them from the Server, it deletes all of just downloaded emails from the Earthlink Server..Thus they are lost for ever... This needs to get fixed !!!