K-9 Mail

K-9 Mail
Original author(s)Jesse Vincent
Developer(s)MZLA Technologies Corporation, Christian Ketterer
Initial release27 October 2008; 15 years ago (2008-10-27)
Stable release
6.804 / 7 June 2024; 3 months ago (7 June 2024)
Repository
Written inJava, Kotlin
Operating systemAndroid
TypeEmail application
LicenseApache License 2.0
Websitek9mail.app

K-9 Mail is a free and open source email client for Android. It is designed as an alternative to the stock email clients included with the platform; it supports both POP3 and IMAP protocols and supports IMAP IDLE for real-time notifications. The project is named after the Doctor Who character K9.[1]

Previous logo

History

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The source code was first published to its git repository on October 27, 2008[2] by Jesse Vincent and the first binaries were released to the public on the Google Code site the same month.[3]

In 2015 the project received $86,000 of funding from the Open Technology Fund.[4]

On 13 June 2022, it was announced that K-9 Mail had been taken over by MZLA Technologies Corporation, a subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation with current maintainer Christian Ketterer joining the team, and plans for K-9 Mail to be rebranded as Thunderbird for Android following the completion of a feature roadmap, including sync with Thunderbird on PC, integrating Thunderbird's automated account setup system, message filtering, and improvements to folders.[5]

Reception

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In the early 2010s it was widely reviewed, and was particularly praised in the media between 2011 and 2013 as a replacement for the default mail application.[6][7] At the time, it was a leading alternative Android app, often recommended[8] when a user did not want to use the default app. It was awarded the "Best App for Sending Email" in the 2010 "Best Android Apps" book.[9]

Features

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  • Works with IMAP, POP3
  • Folder Sync
  • Encryption with OpenKeychain support
  • Signatures
  • SD Card Storage

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About". Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  2. ^ "k9mail/k-9". Github. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Downloads - k9mail - K-9 Mail is an advanced email client for Android - Google Project Hosting". Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  4. ^ Open Technology Fund. "Projects we support - K-9 Mail". Open Technology Fund Website. U.S. Agency for Global Media. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  5. ^ Axon, Samuel (2022-06-13). "Email client K-9 Mail will become Thunderbird for Android". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  6. ^ Paul, Ryan (2011-01-24). "Excellent K-9 mail app for Android keeps your messages on a leash". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  7. ^ "K-9 Mail Receives First Significant Update In 9 Months - Improved Interface, Altered Widget, Bug Fixes, And More". Androidpolice.com. 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  8. ^ Begun, Daniel (2011). Amazing Android Apps for Dummies. Wiley. ISBN 9781118061428.
  9. ^ Hendrickson, Mike (2010). Best Android Apps. O'Reilly Media. p. 80. ISBN 9781449382551.
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