macnn
01/17/2008, 10:25am, EST
Thursday, January 17th
Google warns of Gmail issues with iPhone 1.1.3
Google is warning iPhone users about the effects of Apple's v1.1.3 firmware update on Gmail. The company says that if users setup mail on their iPhones simply by tapping the "Gmail" icon, the v1.1.3 upgrade will convert access from POP to IMAP. The result is that messages read on an iPhone will also appear as read in the Gmail web interface, and any deletions will move messages to the web Trash bin, where they will be permanently deleted after 30 days.
It is noted, however, that it is possible to disable this behavior by manually configuring IMAP, or reverting to POP in a similar manner. The protocol shift is just one of a number of changes introduced to Gmail this week, among them automatic refreshing and contact completion on the iPhone. General changes to Gmail have included larger attachment limits, expanded chat options, and the ability to integrate non-Google e-mail accounts.
Filed under: iPhone, troubleshooting
Other story tags: Google, e-mail, Gmail
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If I delete a message, I'd expect it to be deleted, regardless of whether I did it through Mail on a Mac, Mail on an iPhone, or GMail on the web.
I too would prefer IMAP. I hate having to delete mail on every device to truly delete it.
People may prefer it for some things, but perhaps not others. Some people may want to have the iPhone in pop mode so that they can read through their mail on the phone, toss out all they could care less about at that time, because they'll know they'll get it at their desk and handle it there. This keeps the phone mail from being cluttered without affecting your 'main' computer.
I would call it an upgrade. But as wit any upgrade, people have to be warned about the impact of those new features,
This is why I would consider it a bug. Apple should NOT be changing settings on users without their knowledge. Like with Leopard turning off your firewall without warning, or an OS update adding a bunch of icons to your dock (Apple did this one too). A simple "You can now access Gmail using iMap! Do you want to enable it!" message when you first opened your email would have been the safest option.