Why do I have to let IOS view my Gmail?

[Hrothgar]

i just got a new 6S. When I put in my password for my gmail account, I get a message asking me to allow IOS to "view and manage" my mail. If I click "deny", i'm told that there was a problem accessing my account.

Does this mean that if i want to use gmail on my phone, I have to let IOS read my emails? (I'm assuming that what "view" means.) Is this a new feature or did I agree to this on my old phone?

 

[BrianBaughn]

iOS is the operating system on iPhones. If you deny the OS access to your mail...well...you don't get no mail!

It's really kind of odd to ask, isn't it? Do they think your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing? Perhaps it is for persons with multiple personalities. "Someone holding your iPhone one second ago entered a valid username and password. Is it OK to proceed?"

 

[BradWould]

iOS is the operating system on iPhones. If you deny the OS access to your mail...well...you don't get no mail!

It's really kind of odd to ask, isn't it? Do they think your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing? Perhaps it is for persons with multiple personalities. "Someone holding your iPhone one second ago entered a valid username and password. Is it OK to proceed?"

Exactly! This reminds me of the explosion of paranoia over the Facebook messenger app. It wants access to my camera and microphone and contacts and photos?!!! Uh. Yes. If you want to send a photo, search for contacts, or send audio. iOS would be a lot more secure if it had no features.

 

[Max(IT)]

i just got a new 6S. When I put in my password for my gmail account, I get a message asking me to allow IOS to "view and manage" my mail. If I click "deny", i'm told that there was a problem accessing my account.

Does this mean that if i want to use gmail on my phone, I have to let IOS read my emails? (I'm assuming that what "view" means.) Is this a new feature or did I agree to this on my old phone?

The real question should be: why do you allow GOOGLE to read your emails, since using Gmail you are doing that ....

 

[Abazigal]

i just got a new 6S. When I put in my password for my gmail account, I get a message asking me to allow IOS to "view and manage" my mail. If I click "deny", i'm told that there was a problem accessing my account.

Does this mean that if i want to use gmail on my phone, I have to let IOS read my emails? (I'm assuming that what "view" means.) Is this a new feature or did I agree to this on my old phone?

It's no different from any 3rd party email app. Basically, if you want your gmail content to appear in Apple's email app, you need to let your mail route through their servers. It's like having a deliveryman send a parcel to you, then complaining why he has to touch your package. How else is he supposed to get it to you?

If you don't want this, then you would be better off using one of Google's own mail apps, such as Gmail or Inbox.

 

[BrianBaughn]

It's no different from any 3rd party email app. Basically, if you want your gmail content to appear in Apple's email app, you need to let your mail route through their servers. It's like having a deliveryman send a parcel to you, then complaining why he has to touch your package. How else is he supposed to get it to you?

If you don't want this, then you would be better off using one of Google's own mail apps, such as Gmail or Inbox.

It's more like ordering a product from Amazon and getting a popup from UPS asking for permission to handle the package.

 

[Abazigal]

It's more like ordering a product from Amazon and getting a popup from UPS asking for permission to handle the package.

Thumbs up for being able to convey the ludicrousness of the situation.

 

[Menel]

It's no different from any 3rd party email app. Basically, if you want your gmail content to appear in Apple's email app, you need to let your mail route through their servers. It's like having a deliveryman send a parcel to you, then complaining why he has to touch your package. How else is he supposed to get it to you?

If you don't want this, then you would be better off using one of Google's own mail apps, such as Gmail or Inbox.

GMail most likely does NOT route through Apple servers.

But the Apple Mail application on your phone (the authentication token it holds) has to be able to read your Gmail, in order to present it to you.

 

[phobos512]

GMail most likely does NOT route through Apple servers.

But the Apple Mail application on your phone (the authentication token it holds) has to be able to read your Gmail, in order to present it to you.

Correct. The app itself is accessing Google's IMAP server. There's no additional passing of your email around the internet. It's no different then when you want to use Outlook to access GMail from your desktop. Or Thunderbird to access your Hotmail.

 

[SusanK]

i just got a new 6S. When I put in my password for my gmail account, I get a message asking me to allow IOS to "view and manage" my mail. If I click "deny", i'm told that there was a problem accessing my account.

Does this mean that if i want to use gmail on my phone, I have to let IOS read my emails? (I'm assuming that what "view" means.) Is this a new feature or did I agree to this on my old phone?

I got that message yesterday setting up this iPad. After restore from iCloud was complete I set up my gmail as a new account. The message was confusing do I hit deny. Nothing in my gmail worth reading

 

[KALLT]

I don't even see the problem. You've just given your credentials to iOS and then you are confused about the permission that the app requires? What exactly did you expect?

It's really kind of odd to ask, isn't it? Do they think your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing? Perhaps it is for persons with multiple personalities. "Someone holding your iPhone one second ago entered a valid username and password. Is it OK to proceed?"

It's likely because Google manages account access permissions separately, like Facebook. When you log into your Gmail account, iOS only asks for the things it needs, which you need to grant. Theoretically, an app that tries to access your account could ask for many other things too.

 

[Hrothgar]

You all are probably correct, but, a few thoughts:

1) when I added my Yahoo account to the iPhone, I was not asked to allow IOS to view my emails.
2) I think when the permission usese the word "view", it means IOS isn't just passing along the email (i.e., like UPS), it's "viewing" it -- reading the content and using the content for Apple's business purposes. I know Gmail already does this.
3) When I go into settings, mail, yahoo, account -- there is a place for me to enter my password. Same for my outlook mail. But settings, mail, gmail, account -- does not have space for a password. Not that there's necessarily anything nefarious about this, but it's odd. Especially since I'm now getting messages that the gmail server is not responding and I have to enter the correct account settings. I can't check whether I've got the correct password, because that option doesn't appear.

 

[fanta88]

You are over-thinking this. Like other members have said, iOS needs that permission to fetch (not push) your emails in the iOS mail app. Also, if anything, Apple is a little more sensitive about privacy issues than google.

Alternatively, you could use the gmail app or another mail app such as outlook, but those apps will also be "viewing" your email, whether they ask for that permission or not.

 

[C DM]

You all are probably correct, but, a few thoughts:

1) when I added my Yahoo account to the iPhone, I was not asked to allow IOS to view my emails.
2) I think when the permission usese the word "view", it means IOS isn't just passing along the email (i.e., like UPS), it's "viewing" it -- reading the content and using the content for Apple's business purposes. I know Gmail already does this.
3) When I go into settings, mail, yahoo, account -- there is a place for me to enter my password. Same for my outlook mail. But settings, mail, gmail, account -- does not have space for a password. Not that there's necessarily anything nefarious about this, but it's odd. Especially since I'm now getting messages that the gmail server is not responding and I have to enter the correct account settings. I can't check whether I've got the correct password, because that option doesn't appear.

Wouldn't it be mostly how Gmail implements it vs Yahoo!? For example, Yahoo! just provides permission to email once you sign in, while Gmail asks you separately after you sign in.

 

[bcave098]

2) I think when the permission usese the word "view", it means IOS isn't just passing along the email (i.e., like UPS), it's "viewing" it -- reading the content and using the content for Apple's business purposes. I know Gmail already does this.

If iOS cannot "view" your emails, it can't show them to you because you told Gmail you didn't want iOS to access your account. The reason it tells you there is a problem with your account is because you specifically told Gmail "do not let iOS access my account for me".

This is simply Gmail asking if you want to let iOS (i.e. the Mail app for iOS) access your email so it can fetch it for you.

 

[dmnc]

When asking for permission, for example, to "manage" your email that doesn't mean that the app will make changes without you knowing. It means that you allow the app to function as a mean for you to access and control your account. Nothing more. Also, if the app can't access and "see" the content, how do you expect it'll show it to you?

 

[mcdj]

Apple and Google are just protecting themselves from that one dumb and/or paranoid and/or lazy opportunist who would otherwise try to sue them for not asking permission to process their mail.

If people weren't so lawsuit/OMGNSAWTF happy, you wouldn't be seeing this message.