Google SMTP Server

A1 proofreading not yet effective for this page. In the meantime, you can ask any questions on the forum.

It is possible to use Google's SMTP server (smtp.gmail.com) to send emails from Gestan.

The tools offered by Google are remarkable, however they have drawbacks that must be taken into consideration:

• Impact on your brand image: If you want to use Google's SMTP server, you probably have an address like m.dupont@gmail.com.
  
  However, identifying your company with a gmail address is not a professional solution: any “normal” company has an address suffixed with @societe.com, and not an address in @gmail.com.
  
  To mark the professional side of your brand image, it is preferable to use your own domain name: for example contact@plomberie83.com instead of plumbing83@gmail.com.

• No continuity guarantee: Google services may change unexpectedly, exposing you to service interruptions.
  
  This is what happened in May 2022, when GMail changed the conditions of access to its service: many Gestan users were blocked from sending emails, until They change the GMail settings in their Google console. This is also what happened when the Google Map service became paid, in July 2018, after some changes to the terms following the discontent of the developers. This is what happened again in 2014 when Google implemented the oAuth system, disrupting hundreds of thousands of users for weeks.

• The confidentiality of your data and that of your customers is not guaranteed. The data passing through Google's servers is commercially exploited by Google and its partners and advertising agencies.
  \\Have you ever been surprised to receive an advertising email for shoes or glasses, just after you sent an email expressing your interest on these subjects? The resale of commercial data is Google's business model: “When it's free, you're the product.”

• You are de facto covered by the Cloud Act: Using the services of an IT service provider operating in the United States, such as Google, puts you de facto under the so-called Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (Cloud Act) adopted in 2018.
  
  This extraterritorial law - there is much to say about this concept - allows American justice authorities, federal or local, even municipal, to force any service provider operating in the USA, by mandate or subpoena, to provide any data relating to the personal communications of individuals without them being informed, nor without the country of residence is, nor that the country where these data are stored is. If you commit what is considered an offense under American law, you may therefore be affected by this legislation, which has been strongly criticized by many privacy associations.

• You participate in the superiority of a damaging monopolistic position: Like any monopolistic position, this harms the development of original solutions, the creativity of developers, the emergence of solutions that are more respectful of the user.

For all of these reasons, the professional use of Google SMTP is not recommended.

Whenever possible, it is preferable to opt for the use of tools that respect the privacy and freedom of citizens, even if these tools can sometimes be less comfortable: freedom has a price.

Here, we recommend using the SMTP of your domain name, or a professional SMTP.

If you still want to use Google SMTP, here are the settings to use:

• Server: smtp.gmail.com
• Port: 587 in TSL, or 465 in SSL
• Account: your gmail email address (machin@gmail.com)
• Password: the password that corresponds to your gmail address
• Encryption: TSL or SSL
• Auth.G3: checked

Don't forget to first activate account access authorization.

If you get this error in response:

The last response from the SMTP server is:
<534-5.7.14 <https://accounts.google.com/signin/continue?sarp=1&scc=1&plt=AKgnsbti
534-5.7.14 SzVKt8TqvMNntDb6Sp8iXR5rKTHHtUY2KHw-g9pTuCrOq6Gtuji3m9hiE8UZBmgEAJ1cEM
534-5.7.14 12xqo6b231uRzNcsmuAFOgeEalDeBJhTBo1PHKSpF88JwJAnAvuJdMOIjVn5k1M5eZTz-L
534-5.7.14 F6dBl5vCBMvpV1SGmNcSlGNqRC9MRBAw6vuRS67uSLl_J-zrSEdUGUSs87xZDzG6mIpc21H
534-5.7.14 zf9B5VjzRYIrry1bzBi4iKYO-DyMsr7YzHWqVctgh8AiLg0FcA> Please log in via
534-5.7.14 your web browser and then try again.
534-5.7.14 Learn more at
534 5.7.14 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/78754 a11-v6sm1330818wrr.81 - gsmtp

This means that you need to enable account access permission.

On May 30, 2022, Google updated its security policy towards third-party applications. This impacts sending emails from Gestan if you used the Gmail SMTP server.

You must modify the access permissions to your account.

For any technical issues relating to GMail or Google, you should contact GMail or Google technical support.

Other “Technical” articles