Will my email stop working?
Microsoft and Google are phasing out password sign-in (“basic authentication”) for IMAP, POP, and SMTP – for many accounts it has already stopped working. Answer four quick questions to find out whether your email app, printer or script is affected – and what to do about it.
1. Which email provider is the account with?
2. What does it use the account for?
3. How does it sign in?
4. What is it?
What is changing?
Email apps used to sign in with just a username and password. That’s easy to steal or guess, so providers are replacing it with OAuth 2.0: you sign in on the provider’s own web page (with multi-factor authentication), and the app receives a token instead of your password.
Apps that support OAuth keep working. Apps, printers, scanners and scripts that only support a username and password stop working – usually with an error such as 535 5.7.139 (Microsoft) or 534-5.7.9 (Google).
Affected, but your app can’t use OAuth?
Auth-Email signs in to Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Gmail and other OAuth 2.0 providers on your behalf, so email apps, printers, scanners and scripts can keep using IMAP, POP, and SMTP with a normal password – no updates or code changes needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is basic authentication?
Basic authentication means an app signs in to your email with just a username and password. Microsoft and Google are replacing it with OAuth 2.0, where you sign in through the provider’s own web page and the app receives a token instead of your password.
What is an app password?
An app password is a separate, randomly generated password for one app, created in your account’s security settings. Google, Yahoo, AOL and iCloud still accept app passwords for IMAP, POP, and SMTP. Microsoft no longer accepts them for Outlook.com, or for IMAP and POP with Microsoft 365.
My app doesn’t support OAuth. What can I do?
Check for an update that adds OAuth (often shown as “Sign in with Microsoft” or “Sign in with Google”). If there isn’t one, Auth-Email signs in with OAuth on the app’s behalf, so it can keep using a username and password.