Google Officially Kills Gmailify and POP3 Fetching in 2026
Google is preparing an unwelcome surprise for those who have grown accustomed to turning Gmail into a universal hub for all their email. Beginning in January 2026, the service will stop retrieving messages from third-party mailboxes via POP3 and will simultaneously discontinue Gmailify—the feature that extended Gmail’s signature capabilities, such as spam filtering and inbox categorization, to external addresses.
The change was announced quietly, without fanfare. Rather than appearing in a mailing or a prominent notice, the information surfaced in a support document outlining upcoming changes to Gmailify and POP. The language there is notably direct: support for Gmailify will end, and the option to “check mail from other accounts”—that is, fetching messages via POP—will no longer function.
Google has not officially explained why the decision is being made now. Industry observers suggest that one likely factor is the legacy nature of POP3. In its original form, the protocol is historically associated with transmitting passwords in plain text, and in an era increasingly defined by modern, more secure authentication methods, this approach appears ever more out of place. Journalists have already requested comment from Google.
For many users, the announcement feels like the close of an era. In its early days, Gmail was celebrated not only for offering a then-luxurious gigabyte of free storage, but also for its compelling “all-in-one” concept. Users could connect legacy accounts and read mail from Hotmail, Yahoo, or AOL directly within Gmail’s web interface, without hopping between services.
One important clarification remains. Access to third-party accounts through the Gmail mobile app appears set to continue, but Gmail itself will no longer fetch external messages and deposit them into the inbox. In other words, the familiar model in which Gmail periodically polls an external mailbox for new mail is coming to an end.
Gmailify was valued not only for aggregating messages, but also for providing a consistent interface and automated processing of mail from other providers. Among its users was Jamie Zawinski, a well-known veteran of the early web, who wrote that he relied on this setup for staff email at his San Francisco venue, DNA Lounge—and was clearly displeased by news of its discontinuation.
A further complication is that the standard recommendation to “switch to IMAP” does not suit everyone. If workflows are tightly coupled to POP, or if a provider’s infrastructure has specific constraints, a simple protocol swap may not be feasible. In such cases, the entire email access model may need to be reconsidered.
If you are still using Gmail as a bridge to older mailboxes, January 2026 is an opportune moment to prepare in advance. The most practical path forward may be a return to a local email client capable of connecting directly to multiple servers.
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