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K-9 Mail

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K-9 Mail
Original author(s)Jesse Vincent
Developer(s)MZLA Technologies Corporation, Christian Ketterer
Initial release27 October 2008; 16 years ago (2008-10-27)
Stable release
8.2 / 10 December 2024; 5 months ago (10 December 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]

For end users, K-9 Mail started to transition towards becoming Thunderbird for Android in October 2024.[2][3]

Previous logo

History

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The source code was first published to its git repository on October 27, 2008[4] by Jesse Vincent and the first binaries were released to the public on the Google Code site the same month.[5]

In 2015 the project received $86,000 of funding from the Open Technology Fund.[6]

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.[7]

On 30 October 2024, the first stable release of Thunderbird for Android (Thunderbird Mobile) was launched as version 8.0.[3] Thunderbird for Android can be installed via Google Play and F-Droid, among others.[8] The Thunderbird team had planned in 2022 to maintain K-9 for one year after the release of Thunderbird Mobile, i.e. until roughly October 2025.[9]

On 6 May 2025, the stable version 10 of Thunderbird Mobile and the beta of version 11 were released.[10]

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.[11][12] At the time, it was a leading alternative Android app, often recommended[13] 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.[14]

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. ^ Evangelho, Jason (2022-06-13). "Revealed: Our Plans For Thunderbird On Android". The Thunderbird Blog. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  3. ^ a b Ayhens-Madon, Philipp Kewisch, Monica (2024-10-30). "Thunderbird for Android 8.0 Takes Flight". The Thunderbird Blog. Retrieved 2025-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "k9mail/k-9". Github. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Downloads - k9mail - K-9 Mail is an advanced email client for Android - Google Project Hosting". Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  6. ^ Open Technology Fund. "Projects we support - K-9 Mail". Open Technology Fund Website. U.S. Agency for Global Media. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  7. ^ Axon, Samuel (2022-06-13). "Email client K-9 Mail will become Thunderbird for Android". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  8. ^ "Thunderbird Mobile". Thunderbird. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  9. ^ Evangelho, Jason (2022-06-13). "Frequently Asked Questions: Thunderbird Mobile and K-9 Mail". The Thunderbird Blog. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  10. ^ "Releases · thunderbird/thunderbird-android". GitHub. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  11. ^ Paul, Ryan (2011-01-24). "Excellent K-9 mail app for Android keeps your messages on a leash". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ Begun, Daniel (2011). Amazing Android Apps for Dummies. Wiley. ISBN 9781118061428.
  14. ^ Hendrickson, Mike (2010). Best Android Apps. O'Reilly Media. p. 80. ISBN 9781449382551.
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