First off, what is IMAP IDLE and why should you care? Cliff note version “IMAP IDLE == Push email”

Okay, okay it isn’t exactly the same but it pretty much serves the same purpose. If an imap server supports IDLE it allows a compliant client to retain a connection to the server so that the server may alert the client to changes in the mailbox. This includes new mail, status changes in existing mail (changes from read to unread and back again), mail being moved and/or deleted. The result is a nearly ‘push’ like appearance.

Sounds great - sign me up, the iPhone must support this because yahoo is doing it for free for iPhone users… NOT!

I was very excited at the prospect, so I undertook the task of compiling an IDLE capable courier-imapd server along with garmin (successor to fam) configured to handle the File Alteration Monitoring. I did my testing with a known imap-idle compliant client, Mozilla Thunderbird. A few hours later everything was working smooth as butter, I had my imap server ready to roll, time to point the iPhone at it!

And oh to my disgust the MobileMail.app on the iPhone didn’t handle IDLE support! Gosh darn it Apple, why don’t you support IDLE, email on the iphone would benefit sooo much from this. And for those skeptics out there, yes IMAP IDLE is an industry standard that has been published since 1997!

I guess I’ll just have to hold out and hope that they listen to feedback and bring IDLE support to their mail client. For now I have to live with a minimum 15 minute delay between checking for new mail (and since it isn’t using IDLE this has the bonus effect of tearing through my battery, will probably set it back to 30 or 60 minute delay).