Gmail lets you use Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to access third-party email clients (such as Outlook and Thunderbird) or send emails from your WordPress site. If you have an enterprise account, you’ll turn on the “less secure apps” feature in your Gmail settings. If you have a regular Gmail account, you’ll use a secure way to sign in. This guide walks you through how to allow less secure apps in Gmail using your PC or a budget Android phone and discusses the alternatives.

What are less secure apps and why does Google block them?

Google refers to apps that do not use Google’s modern security standards as less secure apps. Less secure apps ask you to sign in to your Google account using only your username and password, and they do not require any additional authentication. These apps increase the risk of your account and devices being compromised.

Mail, contacts, and calendar sync applications on older versions of iOS and macOS are examples of less secure apps. If you have apps that only use a username or password for your Google Account, you see error messages like “Invalid username,” “Invalid password,” or “Unable to log in.”

Google advises blocking these apps to improve data safety. Previously, you could allow them from your Google account, but this is no longer possible. Still, you may have time if you’re a Google Workspace user. Google will turn off access to Less Secure Apps for Workspace accounts starting June 15, 2024, and by September 30, 2024, it’ll be gone.

Use an app password to allow less secure apps in Gmail

With the option to allow less secure apps from settings now gone, you have a more secure alternative to access these apps in Gmail: an app password. It’s a 16-digit passcode that gives a less secure app or device permission to access your Google Account.

You can only use an app password for accounts where you activated two-step verification. If turning on verification isn’t an option, you must look elsewhere.

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How to turn off two-step verification on your Google account

Enjoy a fast login, and don’t be furious over a six-digit code

Creating an app password on a desktop

Below, we walk you through steps to create an app password on a desktop and how to use it to allow less secure apps in Gmail.

1. Open a web browser and go to your Google account.
2. Select Security.

   

3. Under How yousign in to Google, select 2-Step Verification.

   

4. Scroll to the bottom and click App passwords.

   

5. Enter a descriptive name to help you remember where you’ll use this app password.
6. Select Create.
7. To use the app password, go to the Google Account settings of your email client and replace your regular password with the 16-character password you created.
8. After you complete the process, return to the App passwords page and click Done.

   

Creating an app password on your on your Android or iPhone

The option to create an app password isn’t exclusive to desktop browsers. Follow the steps below to learn how to do so on your mobile device.

1. Download and open the Google app.
2. Tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner and select Google Account.
3. Scroll right to select Security.
4. Under How yousign in to Google, tap 2-Step Verification.

   

   

5. Enter your password for verification.
6. At the bottom of the new page, select App passwords.
7. Enter a name to help you remember where you intend to use the app password.
8. Tap Create.

   

   

9. You’ll see a 16-character code on the screen. Go to your Google Account settings in the email client you want to access and replace your regular password with the app password.
10. When you complete the process, tap Done on the App passwords page.

    

You can create as many app-specific passwords as you need, but it’s best to use a separate password for each service. If you need to create a new password for an email client or service, go to the app passwords screen and delete the old password for that service. Then, generate a new password.

Switch to more secure apps in Gmail

Using more secure apps in Gmail is the way to go. Google discontinued support for less secure apps because they don’t meet modern security standards. By switching to secure apps, you can sign in using the “Sign In with Google” option, which bypasses the need to allow less secure apps or create an app password.

For example, you may see requests to allow less secure apps if you use an older email client to send emails through Gmail. However, you can avoid this extra step by switching to a dedicated Gmail mailer that connects to the Google API. To use the Gmail mailer, create a free Google Cloud Console account and generate an API key. You can also explore other mailers, such as SendLayer, that support the latest security protocols.

More secure apps help you maximize your privacy while using Gmail. A secure app complies with Google’s security standards, allowing you to review the scope of account access it requests before connecting your Google account. This lets you grant the app access to only specific parts of your Google account, such as email or calendar, without revealing your password. You can also disconnect your Google account from the app at any time.

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