Connect your existing mailbox

How it works

SimpleFlare connects to your mailbox as a client - the same way Apple Mail or Outlook does. Your mailbox stays with your provider; SimpleFlare simply logs in, syncs new mail into a shared inbox, and sends your replies through your provider's server.

Because SimpleFlare is just another client, both it and your native app work on the same mailbox at the same time - read status and your sent replies stay in sync.

What you'll need

1. A mailbox on a provider - iCloud+, Gmail / Google Workspace, Fastmail, or any host that speaks IMAP.
2. An app-specific password - a one-off password just for SimpleFlare. Providers with two-factor login (iCloud, Gmail) require this instead of your normal password. We'll create one in Step 1.
3. Owner or operator access in your SimpleFlare console (the Mailboxes page).

Step 1 · Create an app-specific password

This is a dedicated password you generate once and paste into SimpleFlare. You can revoke it any time without changing your real password.

iCloud

1. Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in.
2. Open Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords.
3. Click Generate an app-specific password, label it "SimpleFlare", and copy it (it looks like xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx).

Gmail / Google Workspace

1. Turn on 2-Step Verification if it isn't already (myaccount.google.com/security).
2. Go to App passwords, create one named "SimpleFlare", and copy it.

Fastmail / other IMAP

1. In your provider's settings, find App passwords (Fastmail: Settings → Privacy & Security → App passwords) and generate one with mail access.
2. If your host has no app passwords, your normal mailbox password works.

Step 2 · Know your login username

For most providers your login username is simply your email address - leave the "Login username" field blank and SimpleFlare uses the address.

Step 3 · Connect it in SimpleFlare

1. In the console, open Mailboxes and fill in the Connect a mailbox form.
2. Pick the Project this mailbox should feed, and your Provider (iCloud+, Gmail, Fastmail, or Other IMAP). Picking a provider fills the server settings for you.
3. Enter your Email address (the address shown as From). If your login differs - iCloud custom domains - put your @icloud.com in Login username.
4. Paste the app-specific password from Step 1.
5. Click Test connection. A green ✓ Connection OK means the credentials work.
6. Click Connect mailbox. SimpleFlare does a first sync (the most recent messages) and the mailbox turns Active.

Provider settings reference

The wizard fills these when you choose a provider. Here they are for reference or a custom host.

After you connect

1. Incoming mail is checked about once a minute and lands in the project's inbox - with your team's threading, assignment, tags, and AI on top.
2. Your replies go out through your provider's server, from your address, and a copy is saved to your Sent folder - so your phone's Mail app shows them too.
3. Both keep working: reading or replying in either SimpleFlare or your native app stays consistent on the same mailbox.
4. To disconnect, use the unlink button on the Mailboxes page. The project reverts to its previous receiving setup.

Troubleshooting

"Authentication failed"

The username or password was rejected. Most common fixes: use an app-specific password (not your normal password); for an iCloud custom domain set Login username to your @icloud.com address; or regenerate a fresh app-specific password and paste it exactly as shown.

"Connection failed"

SimpleFlare couldn't reach the server. Check the IMAP host and port (993, SSL). For a custom host, confirm IMAP is enabled on the account.

Nothing syncing

Give it a minute, then hit the sync button on the Mailboxes page. If the row shows Error, the message tells you why. Read status is left untouched, so your native app still shows everything as unread until you open it there.