What Is Gmail Recent Mode?
Microsoft Outlook and iPhone Mail download messages from your Gmail account every 15 minutes. When you have both programs connected to Gmail, the two compete for new mail. Whichever checks first after a new email has arrived fetches it and hides it from all programs and devices that check the same Gmail account later. Recent mode offers a solution to this inconvenience. With recent mode enabled in your email program or mobile device, Gmail will send it the last 30 days’ mail, even if it has already been downloaded elsewhere.
Get All Your Gmail in All Programs and Devices
To use Gmail’s recent mode to fetch all mail even if you have already downloaded it elsewhere:
Gmail Recent Mode Limitations
Recent mode works with Gmail accounts that have had messages downloaded (and thus, removed from the Google servers) through POP; however, the IMAP protocol keeps the messages on the server. If you use several devices, you may find it better to use IMAP instead of POP to avoid the problem of messages routing to different devices.
