IMAP is a great email protocol and a large improvement over legacy POP services, but there are some problems with using Gmail via IMAP, including duplication of draft messages when stored on the server and relatively slow push of new messages.Ī better alternative is Exchange ActiveSync, which Google licensed from Microsoft in 2010 for use on mobile platforms that connect to Google’s services. Using the built-in “Gmail” option in iOS sets up Gmail with the IMAP protocol, but there is a better method. Gmail is an excellent free email service that can be configured automatically in iOS and OS X.
