OT: Redirecting gmail

[Bill]

I have a friend of a friend (so I can't see what he is using now) who is temporarily short of free cash and wants to maintain a business while he is fighting a major bank who destroyed his previous large business.

He has an iPad and an iPhone and is able to see his Hotmail email using one of these. I know nothing about Apple devices, and don't know exactly how he is doing this.

I am being asked about whether he can register a domain and so look as though he is the decent business that he is, with a sensible email address and possibly later a website, but redirect emails to and from Hotmail or, possibly, gmail.

I have looked at the gmail website and it appears to be possible, but can anyone confirm that this can be done to provide from his iPhone the ability to send and receive email from his corporate address but using, say, gmail.

I might be just asking whether an iPhone comes with a real email client?

[Andy Burns]

Yes iThings can speak SMTP and IMAP, so they can talk to gmail servers, and you can direct email from your own domain to gmail, and send from gmail using the domain addresses ...

[Bill]

Thanks, Andy, that's just what I needed to know.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Piece of piss.

123-reg include free mail redirection with their domain registration package

If you send via Gmail you may not be able to send as ' [e-mail]'. I dunno.

But your ISP will have te ability to send as anyone you like if they have a mail relay.

Its more about mail client configuration than anythinbg else.

If its apple its almost certainly borked.

[Andy Burns]

I've not added such an "alias" for a while, but the process is something along the lines that to be allowed to send from an alias, you first have to demonstrate you can receive for that address, but clicking a link they send you.

[Adrian Caspersz]

My experience is in reply to a recipient emailing with the original domain, they still get to see the redirected gmail email address. Some email clients pretty it up by stating "sent on behalf off" the original domain name. Some don't.

To do it properly I think needs "Google Apps For Work" which costs money, or is there another way?

[Chris French]

In message , Bill writes

Yes and yes to the questions.

set up his domain to forward emails to the gmail address.

With Gmail you can then set up an alias to another email addresses. say [e-mail] (it will want to verify it ).

you can have multiple aliases.

You can then send emails from the gmail account using those aliases as well.

Labels will sort the emails if he wants.

The email app on iOS seems fine for normal use (and there are alterative's.) However I don't think it will know about the gmail aliases.

He might need to install the Gmail app, (in fact there are two Gmail and Inbox, which is a more recent one, with a slight different approach)

[Tim Watts]

And a number of domain registrars can handle email forwarding to another address (eg 123 Reg) so that's how to do that bit.

If you go the whole hog, you can sign up for a very nominal sum and buy Google Apps for Work (priced per user) and you can actually bind gma to a domain of your choice. The nice thing here is you get support and all the other apps of course (Drive, Calendar etc).

[Michael Chare]

123-reg allows email to be forwarded to multiple addresses so setting this up is not that difficult, - all you need is another working email address.

[Robin]

May I just check that the underlying problem is that he cannot afford c.?15 a year to have whatever domain he registers hosted with mailboxes, webmail, webspace etc?

[Bill]

AIUI the underlying problem is that he will just have a room in his accountant's office building as his "office" and will be working with no landline and thus no ISP's services on that site. I think the accountant is lending or renting the room as a temporary stop-gap.

His business involves a lot of underlying paperwork but most meetings are on-site, and email that looks decent is essential.

I use 1and1 to redirect here, so I'm OK with that side of things (being on Demon/Vodafone makes you prepare for the next disaster!). I have suggested that the domain name provider could provide the hosting.

[jack]

Yes it does, and there are email provider specific apps for stuff like gmail etc too.

[Dave Liquorice]

Landline ISP services aren't relevant. All he needs to go with the above is a 'net connection, which he has via mobile data on his iThingies.

[Robin]

Yep. Plus in many places he will find the local library offers free WiFi; and free use of a PC for things which I at least would much rather do with keyboard and mouse.

[Nick]

I use Google Apps as you describe. For historical reasons I get it free. I believe Zoho currently do a free version.