Google has announced that from January 2026 it will remove two features in Gmail on the web that many customers use to centralise email: Gmailify and “Check mail from other accounts” (POP fetch). In Google’s words, “Starting January 2026, Gmail will no longer provide support for the following features:” (Gmailify and Check mail from other accounts).
If you currently have Gmail pulling messages from a purely.website mailbox (or any third‑party mailbox) using Settings, Accounts and import, Check mail from other accounts, that automatic fetching will stop. If you used Gmailify to add Gmail style features to a non Google mailbox, those enhancements will also stop.
What is changing?
- Gmailify is being discontinued. After January 2026, Gmail will no longer apply Gmail‑specific features (e.g., spam protection, inbox categories, enhanced search/notifications) to third party accounts linked with Gmailify.
- Check mail from other accounts (POP fetch) is being removed from Gmail on the web. Gmail will no longer support polling external mailboxes via POP, and that option will disappear from Settings.
What will stop working?
- Automatic POP retrieval into Gmail from your purely.website mailbox. Any external accounts listed under Settings, Accounts and import, Check mail from other accounts will no longer be fetched.
- Gmailify applied features on non Google mailboxes. After deprecation, Gmail only features won’t be applied to those accounts.
What will continue to work?
- Your existing mail in Gmail remains. “All messages synced before the deprecation stay in Gmail.”
- You can still access Gmail from other apps via POP/IMAP. Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and similar clients can connect to your Gmail account as usual.
- You can still add non Google accounts to the Gmail mobile apps (Android/iOS) using standard IMAP. This keeps those accounts usable inside the Gmail app (mobile‑only).
- One‑time imports remain available. Gmail on the web will still allow a single import of mail/contacts from third‑party accounts (no ongoing sync).
Recommended actions and workarounds
Choose the option that best matches how you want to work after January 2026.
Option 1. Keep Gmail (web) as your hub: set up forwarding from your purely.website mailboxes
- Create an automatic forward at for your purely.website email so new mail forwards to your Gmail address.
- In Gmail (web), optionally enable Send mail as for your domain address so you can continue replying from your email inside Gmail. For best deliverability, configure Send mail as to use your domain’s SMTP servers (m1.purely.website)
- Deliverability note: Forwarding can affect email authentication. To improve inbox placement, ensure your domain has SPF (automatically enabled) and DKIM configured and, where possible, that the forwarding system adds ARC headers.
When to pick this: You want all new messages to land in your Gmail inbox on the web without POP polling, and you still want to send from your domain address.
Option 2. Use the Gmail mobile app as your mail client (no web import needed)
Add your purely.website mailbox directly to the Gmail mobile app (Android/iPhone/iPad) as an IMAP account: open the app, tap your profile picture , Add another account, choose Other (IMAP) and enter your mailbox settings.
When to pick this: You mainly read and send on mobile and you’re happy to keep non Google accounts inside the Gmail app on your phone/tablet.
How to check if you’re affected
- In Gmail on the web, open Settings, See all settings, Accounts and import.
- If you see entries under Check mail from other accounts, you are using POP fetch and must choose a replacement before January 2026.
- If you previously linked a non Google mailbox via Gmailify, those Gmail specific enhancements will cease.
A reminder you can always use our hosting for email only if you wish and access via webmail.
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