iPhone + Snow Leopard's mail.app - POP3 to IMAP ?

[feuerschlange]

I have a running POP3 mail account.

I have all mails already downloaded to my Mac with mail.app.

I have left a copy of the mails on the server.

I have backups of my main hard drive including my mail.app library.

My mails are sorted into a folder structure within mail.app.


What would be the best way, to switch this account from POP3 to IMAP?


I want to be able, to receive/ organize/ answer/ delete mails on my computer or on the iPhone and sync these mails to either device.

I realize, the iPhone does not support a folder structure similar to the desktop app.
Therefore I want to have synced definitely:

- mails to be deleted on the server, the iPhone and my desktop, when deleting them from either the Mac or the iPhone,
- mails, I sent to any person to be synced into the "sent mail folder" of all sources.


I can sort the mails into their appropriate folder on my computer and do not want this to interfere with the syncing of the 3 sources.

 

[sidewinder]

That is what IMAP allows you to do.

Just setup the account as an IMAP on your Mac and your phone and look at the mailbox behavior options.

S-

 

[feuerschlange]

That is what IMAP allows you to do.

Just setup the account as an IMAP on your Mac and your phone and look at the mailbox behavior options.

S-

I am not familiar with the tech involved.
Which steps do I have to undertake, to have everything lined up?

I guess, I must ask the provider to switch the account to IMAP first and only change the account details to IMAP in mail.app, as the iPhone will sync the settings from the desktop?

Is switching from POP3 to IMAP just a option for the provider (no loss of mails or data at risk) or is it an entirely new thing involving moving data and messing with folders?

 

[sidewinder]

It's not that difficult. It sounds like you need to read up on IMAP before you make the change. It does require more management from the end user perspective than a POP account.

You won't lose any email if you setup the IMAP account before deleting the POP account.

S-