Accessing POP email on multiple computers

[swiftaw]

I have several gmail accounts that I access via Apple Mail using gmail's POP server.

Now, I have just bought a MacMini, and I want to set it up so that I can get my mail on both computers simultaneously so that I can check it on whichever one I happen to be at.

However, it seems that with POP mail that once it is downloaded to one of the computers then it wont be downloaded to the other even though the message is still on the server. I believe that the message gets tagged as downloaded so that when the 2nd computer checks for new messages it passes over those messages that have been downloaded by the 1st computer.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to get 2 computers both to get mail from a POP server so I can have all mail on both machines.

Thanks

 

[.Andy]

I have several gmail accounts that I access via Apple Mail using gmail's POP server.

Now, I have just bought a MacMini, and I want to set it up so that I can get my mail on both computers simultaneously so that I can check it on whichever one I happen to be at.

However, it seems that with POP mail that once it is downloaded to one of the computers then it wont be downloaded to the other even though the message is still on the server. I believe that the message gets tagged as downloaded so that when the 2nd computer checks for new messages it passes over those messages that have been downloaded by the 1st computer.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to get 2 computers both to get mail from a POP server so I can have all mail on both machines.

Thanks

In your mail account preferences you can select to not delete the mail on the server after you download it. I'm not sure if gmail allows you to use this feature though as I've never tried. Perhaps they'll only allow you to download using the pop route once.

 

[swiftaw]

In your mail account preferences you can select to not delete the mail on the server after you download it. I'm not sure if gmail allows you to use this feature though as I've never tried. Perhaps they'll only allow you to download using the pop route once.

I think the issue is with gmail rather than with Mail. I think once you download messages from gmail it remembers that they have been downloaded and future requests for downloads ignore those messages. I am not certain of this, but it seems that that is what is happening.

 

[swiftaw]

My new thought on the matter. Maybe I could use some kind of syncing software like Chronosync to keep the mail folders on the two machines identical. What do you think?

 

[.Andy]

I think the issue is with gmail rather than with Mail. I think once you download messages from gmail it remembers that they have been downloaded and future requests for downloads ignore those messages. I am not certain of this, but it seems that that is what is happening.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Otherwise people could just use it as a method of distributing large files.

Another way you could try is to set up both the pop access on one computer as well as email-forwarding from gmail to another mail account you access on your other computer. Unless you can't do both!

Syncing might work as well but I'm not familiar with chronosync ...

 

[swiftaw]

Another way you could try is to set up both the pop access on one computer as well as email-forwarding from gmail to another mail account you access on your other computer. Unless you can't do both!

When I did a google search I came across a forum where this was suggested as a workaround. Set up a 2nd gmail account and forward all mail from the 1st gmail account to the 2nd email account so both email accounts have the same mail in them. Then set Mac #1 to access the 1st gmail account via POP and Mac #2 to access the 2nd gmail account via POP and thus both computers will get all mail.