What is IMAP IDLE?

What is IMAP IDLE?

IMAP IDLE: instant push email notifications IDLE is an IMAP protocol extension described in RFC 2177. It allows an IMAP client to indicate to the server that it is ready to accept real-time notifications about the changes (e.g. new message) in the currently selected folder. This feature is not available for every IMAP server.

What is the difference between IMAP IDLE and true push?

True push will be somewhat slower than IMAP IDLE, but in practice this is not likely to be a big problem. Data usage for IMAP IDLE is essentially the 15 minute NOOP to keep the connection alive, plus a small amount of data to do the notification. The true push will have the cost of the SMS notification.

How does IMAP handle immediate notification?

It handles immediate notification as part of general operations and by the IDLE command, which is a widely implemented standard extension to the core IMAP protocol. IMAP works by the software on the mobile device (the client) issuing commands to the server. An IMAP server provides two things in response to a client command:

What is a push email?

The concept of “push email” has been widely marketed as a desirable feature of mobile email services, to enable users to get immediate notification of and access to new messages.