Need help setting up new email client to work with new gmail security protocols

[Rich]

I received the following email from Google:

On May 30, you may lose access to apps that are using less secure sign-in technology

To help keep your account secure, Google will no longer support the use of third-party apps or devices which ask you to sign in to your Google Account using only your username and password. Instead, you'll need to sign in using Sign in with Google or other more secure technologies, like OAuth 2.0. Learn more

What do you need to do?

Email software, like Outlook 2016 or earlier, has less secure access to your Gmail. Switch to Office 365, Outlook 2019 or newer, or any other email software where you can sign in using Sign in with Google.

My current client is claws mail.
It uses POP3 to check for new emails twice an hour and would like to keep it that way (no IMAP).
I don't want anything that maintains an open network connection to Google.
I can't use anything involving a cell phone, I don't own one.

I feel I'm in over my head and could use some help in how to set this up. I know nothing about these
security techniques so feel free to dumb it down for me.

[NewUser]

I may be in the same boat - I use Thunderbird. Good luck to both of us

[curaga]

Thunderbird should support oauth:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1174505

However according to this link, giving google your phone number is mandatory:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23068764

[gadget42]

thunderbird, evolution, and claws are all probably the same from googles position.

perhaps this will be the catalyst to encourage more people to abandon gmail?

good luck in any case.

[Juanito]

You could try asking the claws mail people?

[Rich]

Hi NewUser
I've made some progress. I downloaded and packaged the 32 bit English version of Thunderbird found here:
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/releases/91.9.0/linux-i686/en-US/
It weighs in at a hefty 100 megabytes.

Upon startup:
1. It ask for full name, email address and password.
2. It allowed me to choose between IMAP and POP3.
3. A login screen from Gmail appeared. After logging in I agreed to allow Thunderbird handle my email.

Items 2 and 3 might be reversed, I don't remember. That was basically it, fairly straight forward.

I turned  "Allow less secure apps:"  OFF  and was still able to retrieve email. I will wait a while and see if any problems
crop up before moving my other email account to Thunderbird.

[PDP-8]

Hi Rich!  (and thanks to all for the latest 13.1!)

I saw the 100mb download.  Another possibility is the Mozilla SeaMonkey suite, currently at ver 2.53.12.

At only half that size (about 53mb), you get the email client, browser, html editor, and chat.  Like the old days - but shares code with firefox, thunderbird etc.

Depending on how hard core your email and browsing needs are, SeaMonkey could be a leaner-meaner option too.

Many options to download, build from source, etc:
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Again - thanks to all for their patience and help over the years!

[Emomay]

Is there a way to configure Claws Mail to use OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication with Google while continuing to use POP3 for email retrieval, or do I need to switch to a different email client to comply with Google's new security requirements? If so, which email clients would you recommend that fit my criteria?

[Rich]

Hi Emomay
Welcome to the forum.

At the time I started this thread I don't think that Claws Mail
had any support for OAuth 2.0. I don't know if that's changed.

As reply #5 indicates, I switched to a pre-compiled version of
thunderbird that I am still running using POP3.

[gadget42]

please see this webpage for current claws email gmail information:

https://www.claws-mail.org/faq/index.php/Using_Claws_Mail_with_Gmail

[gadget42]

more regarding email:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/11/24175917/microsoft-outlook-security-changes-secure-future-initiative