Resetting iPad results in masses of email downloads!

[iBozz]

I have an iPad 3rd Generation running under iOS.8.3 (12F69) which is fully up to date, as are all the various apps..

I have one IMAP account and five POP accounts with my ISP and six POP accounts with gmail - don't ask, they are for various separate projects and, Luddite though it might make me sound, I do not want to switch to IMAP as the system I have works for me!

Periodically I reset the iPad, especially after some form of glitch or other and I have done so since time immemorial (well, as long as I can remember!) but I have only done it twice recently and those last two resets have caused all the email on my ISP's servers to be re-downloaded to the iPad from the five ISP POP accounts. Previous rests did not result in this seemingly bizarre, and unwanted, behaviour.

The ISP IMAP account is unaffected and all gmail accounts are unaffected.

What is happening and why did it only start on the resets done on Sunday, 22 February and this morning?

My ISP assure me that nothing has changed with their email system or servers.

Is February significant? Did a new version of iOS come out then or not long before?

And how can I carry out future rests without masses of email re-downloading immediately thereafter?

Thanks in advance.

 

[twerppoet]

POP3 has two modes when you download email. One downloads the email, but leaves it on the server. The other downloads the email, then deletes it from the server. The iPad defaults to the first, though it can be changed to the second in your account's advanced settings.

If you also use, or used to use, a computer to access your POP3 accounts, those clients usually default to the download and delete settings.

What I"m getting at is if you don't regularly log access your POP3 accounts in delete mode all that email accumulates. When you reset your iPad it forgets what emails are new and which ones are old, so it downloads everything. That status is stored solely on the iPad. There's nothing on the POP3 server to distinguish between emails that have been downloaded previously and new ones.

The solution, if you insist on sticking with your POP3 accounts, is to occasionally access the accounts with a device that deletes the emails after downloading them.

If all you are using is your iPad to access your emails, go into the advanced settings for each POP3 account and change it to the delete after downloading mode. If you use a computer as well, then make sure it is set to delete after downloading and make sure you go to your account periodically using that machine.

To get rid of the massive email's you have now, you need to delete all those emails off the server, then delete and re-add the account on the iPad. You can do that with the computer, the iPad in delete all mode (takes several deletions and re-adding of each account in proper mode), or maybe your website access. I'm not sure if/how you would delete POP3 emails from the server using a website/email client. Possibly by deleting all trash.

POP3 was created when the vast majority of people accessed their email from just one device. It's never been updated to handle the new multi-device world we live in. Getting all your email on all your devices requires a deliberate workflow. You must remember that any time you use the download and delete device any email not already downloaded on the other devices will never show up there. That's why almost everyone will recommend you use IMAP or Exchange instead.


Another possible solution is to use Gmail to access your POP3 accounts. Gmail can both send and receive emails using other accounts. This way you could get the benefits of IMAP for multi-device access, but keep your older POP3 accounts. Because it adds an extra layer, which can break, I don't really recommend this as a permanent solution. But it can make the transition to a new email address (or addresses) less painful.

And, of course, some providers have upgraded their servers and offer IMAP these days. Migration in that case is as easy as deleting and re-adding your account using the new settings.

I hope this explains what happened, and helps you prevent it in the future.

Good luck.

 

[iBozz]

Thanks, tp.

The reason I stick with POP is because I only really deal with emails on one device, my iMac. I use the iPad only to check that there are no important emails which need immediate action when I'm out. Otherwise, i just delete them all from the iPad almost immediately.

My iMac is set to keep copies on the ISP's servers for one month and then delete.

I can understand the resetting of the "mail downloaded" flag (or whatever) on the iPad when a reset is done but this mass re-downloading never happened when I periodically reset prior to the first occurrence I noticed on 22 February! Maybe at some time before that there was an update to iOS or Mail which changed the way the information was kept.

Thanks for the information.