Gmail user? Read this!
Google has confirmed that Gmail users should prepare for a security change that takes effect starting January 2026. All users are advised to verify that they have updated any necessary settings before the end of the year to avoid disruptions to their email delivery. Here’s what you need to know about the changes that will see third-party POP-enabled email support cease.
Although Gmail security warnings are not uncommon, these usually relate to an ongoing hacking threat or active attack. Much less commonplace, however, are warnings from Google itself that Gmail features are being deprecated, or in the case of the current confirmation, completely removed, because of security issues. Yet that’s exactly what users of the world’s most popular email platform are facing right now, and they’ve been given until the end of the year to ensure delivery of email is not interrupted as a result. Here’s what you need to know about the end of third-party email POP support for Gmail users.
What Is POP Email And Why Will Gmail Stop Supporting It From January 2026?
The Post Office Protocol is used to enable an email client application to retrieve emails from a remote email server. That’s the simple explanation for what is a relatively simple application layer protocol. The user authenticates themselves to the mail server by way of a username and password combo, and any new emails are then downloaded to the client application.
POP has been enjoyed, if that’s the right word, by millions of users over the years as a means to manage multiple email accounts from multiple servers in a single application. Gmail is no exception. Well, until Jan. 1, that is, when support for POP will cease.
Google has now confirmed that “Gmail will no longer support checking emails from third-party accounts through POP,” and the option to check mail from other accounts “will no longer be available in Gmail on your computer.”
The reason stated in the Google posting confirming the changes regarding POP support for Gmail, is simple: security. “These changes help provide the most secure and current options to access your messages in Gmail,” Google said, without further explanation.
I can, however, shed some light on the security concerns around the use of POP, or POP3, as the most current implementation is known. The problems are around data being transmitted in plaintext rather than encrypted, including usernames and passwords as well as the email content itself, along with the lack of support for two-factor authentication. There are other concerns, but they are well countered by the use of the Internet Message Access Protocol. Gmail will continue to support IMAP as a result.
IMAP is considered the safer option, primarily because it supports encryption during data transfer and two-factor authentication. I would also note that attachments, which can often introduce risk in the form of malware, are not automatically downloaded, as is the case with POP, but are instead downloaded when you open them.
What Gmail Users Need To Do Before Jan. 1
Google has advised that users who wish to continue receiving messages from their third-party email accounts, currently using POP3, should set up IMAP access as soon as possible to avoid any future disruptions. “Check your email provider’s documentation for instructions on how to enable IMAP for your account,” Google said.
What is important to note is that any messages that have been synced before the January 2026 deprecation date will stay securely in Gmail and will not be deleted. You will also still be able to use third-party email accounts such as Yahoo! and Microsoft Outlook with Gmail, by adding them to the Gmail app on your Android or iPhone device. Full instructions for doing this have been published by Google for both Android and iOS users.
