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Why You Should (or Maybe Shouldn't) Switch to Edison’s OnMail
Privacy or convenience? Pick one
By Charlie Sorrel Charlie Sorrel Senior Tech Reporter Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 24, 2021 06:59AM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Software & Apps Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways
Edison’s OnMail is a smart email service that helps to organize your inbox.OnMail works with pretty much any existing email account.Edison says OnMail is "privacy-focused," but its web app tries to connect to Facebook. Yogas Design / Unsplash Email is in the middle of a midlife reinvention, and apps like Edison’s new OnMail are the Harley Davidsons enabling it. Edison describes OnMail as an "ad-free, privacy-focused, and modern email service." It joins other new players like Hey and the forthcoming Big Mail. Like those other email services and apps, OnMail rethinks email for today. The OnMail app is the most conventional of this new wave of inbox wranglers. Its biggest feature, however, is one you won’t really see: Importing all your current email accounts to put them in one place. "We think privacy is still a major concern when it comes to using email today," Miranda Yan, co-founder of vehicle-search service VinPit, told Lifewire via email. "Email is a prime target for hackers, and with the escalation of cyber crimes like phishing, it should be made more protected." What Is OnMail
Instead of opening up yet another email account, like you have to do with Hey, OnMail works with your existing accounts and email providers. In this way, it is more like an email app in that it just pulls on your Exchange, Gmail, iCloud, and other email accounts, and shows them to you. The difference is that OnMail also indexes all that email, so it can apply its smart artificial intelligence (AI) features. Like Hey, OnMail starts with screening senders. Instead of letting anyone with your email address dump their crap in your inbox, you first have to click Accept Sender before their emails are allowed. The other neat part of OnMail is that it automatically parses your incoming emails, and intelligently presents the information found therein. For instance, a flight booking will be shown as an info card, like this: OnMail Why Should You Choose OnMail
OnMail’s biggest attraction is its ubiquity. It’s available on iOS and Android, and can be used in your web browser. It also can work with email from Gmail, Outlook, AOL, Hotmail, and any generic IMAP account. It’s also free, with 10GB storage and a 100MB file-attachment size limit. Paid accounts increase these limits, and add options like custom domain support. If you like the look of OnMail’s smart AI features, but don’t want to (or can’t) leave your current email provider, OnMail is a solid choice. Why Should You Avoid OnMail
Here’s reason one to avoid OnMail: the iOS app includes these “inspirational” images and slogans. OnMail Joking aside, there are several things to consider before granting OnMail access to all your email. For instance, a year ago, an update to the company’s Edison Mail app contained a bug that exposed users’ email accounts to others. Users reported getting access to email accounts that had nothing to do with them. Another Edison scandal involved the company scraping users’ inboxes, anonymizing that information, and using it to sell products to financial, e-commerce, and travel companies. OnMail is a new app and service, but it may use your data in similar ways to the old Edison Mail client. The current version of its privacy policy is up-front about these uses. If you open OnMail in Safari on your iPad or iPhone, and use Safari’s Privacy Report to see what’s what, you’ll discover that OnMail attempts to contact Facebook and Google, among others. Here’s the screenshot: OnMail For an email service that describes itself as “privacy-focussed” in the very first line of its launch blog post, that’s a worrying discovery. Trade-Offs
In the end, you decide how private you want your communications to be. "Email privacy is my number one priority, even more than cost and features," Caroline Lee, co-founder of secure e-signature service CocoSign, told Lifewire via email. "I use my email account primarily for business purposes, so I have to protect it from cyber threats such as social attacks." If you really want to lock your communications down, use the Signal messaging app. If you value smart features over privacy, then go with an email app that processes your data in return for selling what it gleans from that data. And if you care about communication security, you should probably avoid email altogether. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire 10 Best Free Email Accounts for 2022 How to Recover Missing Emails in Gmail The 5 Best Secure Email Services for 2022 The 7 Best Email Apps for Android of 2022 The Best Email Apps for iPhone 2022 How to Search Mail in iPhone Mail How to Set Up a New Android Phone 9 Best Ways to Hide Your Identity Online Use the Spark Email App to Take Control of Your Inbox How to Create a New Outlook.com Email Account What Is Email aka Electronic Mail? How to Use Gmail: Get Started With Your New Account How to Browse the Web Anonymously The 8 Best Gmail Alternatives of 2022 How to Check Your Google Storage Quota How to Use SSL With an Email Account in macOS Mail Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies