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When I add a gmail account with a username of @gmail.com, Mail.app ver 4 recognizes this as a Gmail IMAP account. However, if I try to add a Google apps domain email address ending in @google-app-domain.com, Mail.app does not recognize this as a Gmail IMAP account. Instead, I have to manually select IMAP.

  • Is there a difference between Gmail IMAP accounts and IMAP accounts in Mail.app ver 4?
  • Why doesn't Mail.app ver 4 recognize Google Apps accounts as Gmail IMAP accounts?

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My pet theory is that Mail.app defines the type of the account by its domain name and not by the mail server address. Is this affecting the account somehow? – nuc Mar 24 '11 at 15:48
@nuc: "Is this affecting the account somehow?" Not that I can tell, but I'm wanting to understand the differences, if any. – Matthew Rankin Mar 24 '11 at 18:20

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The Gmail IMAP accounts are there for convenience: Gmail is popular and the possible in & out servers are the same for the lot of users. Having ugly technical data filled upfront makes the user experience more laid back and minimizes the possibility of typoing wrong data.

The domain itself doesn't tell if it is a Google Apps domain or not. Yes, (any) mail software could try to retrieve the info through some channels, but that would lead to extra traffic. Also using your domain with Google Apps is rather marginal versus not using your own domain with Google Apps.

Furthermore, it would be rather dubious if Apple tried to check every non-gmail.com domain if it is a Google Apps domain or not. Every query leaves a footprint.

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