Every Android maker ships its own mail app. Samsung “Email”, Google Pixel “Gmail” (see Gmail app), Xiaomi/Huawei/OnePlus their own variants. Functionally they’re similar — all speak IMAP/SMTP, and that’s the way to go with us. Calendar and contacts run separately over CalDAV/CardDAV (more on that below).
The UIs differ quite a bit though. We show the setup for Samsung “Email” and Google Pixel — other makers work analogously.
Samsung Email app
Setting up the account
- Open Samsung Email.
- On first start: account setup. Otherwise: three bars → Settings → Add account.
- Pick Other as the account type (not Exchange — we don’t offer that).
- Enter email and password.
- Sign in (for automatic configuration) or Manual setup.
IMAP
Manual configuration:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| IMAP server | mail.xaweho.de |
| Security type | SSL/TLS |
| Port | 993 |
| Username | full mail address |
| Password | mailbox / app password |
| SMTP server | mail.xaweho.de |
| SMTP security type | TLS / STARTTLS |
| SMTP port | 587 |
| Require sign-in | enabled |
If 2FA is active, you need an app password with IMAP and SMTP enabled.
Getting new mail immediately
Straight talk: there’s no Exchange push with us. What there is: IMAP IDLE — the app keeps an open connection to the server, and new mail arrives practically immediately. Samsung Email polls IMAP accounts at intervals by default; set Settings → Account → Sync schedule to Push and the app uses IDLE.
Google Pixel and stock Android
On Pixel devices the default app is Gmail. Setup: see Gmail app for your own mail address.
Other Android makers (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei)
The preinstalled mail apps of other makers follow a similar pattern:
- Open the app → Other mail account.
- Configure manually.
- Enter the IMAP data (as above).
UI details differ, server data is identical.
Calendar and contacts: DAVx⁵
The makers’ mail apps only sync mail. Calendar, contacts and tasks come from SOGo via CalDAV/CardDAV — easiest on Android with DAVx⁵ (free on F-Droid and Google Play):
- Open DAVx⁵ → Add account.
- URL:
https://mail.xaweho.de/SOGo/dav/<your-mail-address>/— DAVx⁵ discovers calendars and address books automatically. - Sign in with your full mail address and password (with 2FA active: app password).
After that, the phone’s calendar and contacts apps show the data directly. Details: SOGo calendar and SOGo contacts.
Which app should I take?
From our experience:
| Need | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Open source, privacy first | K-9 / Thunderbird Mobile + DAVx⁵ |
| Install nothing, take what’s there | Samsung Email (or the maker’s stock app) via IMAP |
| Used to the Gmail UI, no Google routing | Gmail app with “configure manually” |
| Microsoft look | Outlook app, careful about cloud routing |
| Calendar and contacts on top | DAVx⁵ alongside the mail app (CalDAV/CardDAV) |
Frequently asked questions
Which app is best on Samsung devices? From our experience Samsung Email (preinstalled) or K-9 / Thunderbird Mobile, depending on taste. Both stable with Mailcow.
Are multiple accounts in one app supported? With all the apps mentioned: yes.
Where do I see mail logs on Android? Not directly in the app. If you have to debug deeper: switch to a mail client on a computer (Outlook, Thunderbird) and look at the logs there.
Battery optimization kills my mail sync Some Android makers (Xiaomi, Huawei) restrict background processes heavily by default — that also kills the IMAP IDLE connection. Solution: Settings → Apps → <your mail app> → Battery → Don’t optimize.
New mail only arrives every 15 minutes. The app is polling instead of using IDLE. Set the account’s sync setting to Push (see above) and turn off battery optimization for the app. In 95% of cases it’s one of the two.
Can Mailcow remote-wipe my device? No. With IMAP/SMTP the server gets no rights on your device whatsoever — it only sees the mailbox.
My iPhone has no stock mail app from another maker — what do I use? Apple Mail is the default. See Setting up Apple Mail on iOS — note the fetch-interval hint there: Apple Mail only fetches IMAP accounts at intervals. Alternatives: Outlook for iOS, Spark, Newton, etc. — all in the App Store.
What’s next
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Creating and editing mailboxes, setting quotas
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Setting up aliases and a catchall
Route several mail addresses into one mailbox — info@, kontakt@, presse@ all in a single inbox. Plus a catchall for every typo address.
Creating app passwords for mail clients
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