Push Notification on 2.4.5
Hi, Is there any simple explanation on how to enable and verify push notifications on dovecot 2.4.5. I am using eM Client on IOS and it uses push notification, but it does not receives any notification about new emails. I assume by default push notifications is not enabled. Any information appreciated.
Regards, Horst
- horst.simon2--- via dovecot:
Is there any simple explanation on how to enable and verify push notifications on dovecot 2.4.5.
I assume you are talking about IMAP access. To my knowledge there should be no need to actively enable anything on the Dovecot side, beyond IMAP itself.
I am using eM Client on IOS and it uses push notification, but it does not receives any notification about new emails. I assume by default push notifications is not enabled.
I don't know eM Client's specifics, but it is usually the client side (i.e. the Mail User Agent [MUA]) which request push notifications. That's where I would suggest you look for configuration options. As far as verifying push notifications is concerned: Thunderbird and iOS Mail both support the feature, which should provide other avenues to test things.
-Ralph
On 17/09/2026 08:28 EEST horst.simon2--- via dovecot <dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
Hi, Is there any simple explanation on how to enable and verify push notifications on dovecot 2.4.5. I am using eM Client on IOS and it uses push notification, but it does not receives any notification about new emails. I assume by default push notifications is not enabled. Any information appreciated.
Regards, Horst
See https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.5/core/plugins/push_notification.html#push-notif...
Basically you need to setup & configure a suitable plugin for this.
Not to be confused with IMAP IDLE, where you can sit around for notifications for new emails.
Aki
- Aki Tuomi via dovecot:
Basically you need to setup & configure a suitable plugin for this.
Not to be confused with IMAP IDLE, where you can sit around for notifications for new emails.
I guess this implies that Apple's iOS Mail and Thunderbird are relying on IDLE alone, given that I have not enabled the 'push_notification' plugin? Interesting.
-Ralph
On 17/09/2026 11:40 EEST Ralph Seichter via dovecot <dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
- Aki Tuomi via dovecot:
Basically you need to setup & configure a suitable plugin for this.
Not to be confused with IMAP IDLE, where you can sit around for notifications for new emails.
I guess this implies that Apple's iOS Mail and Thunderbird are relying on IDLE alone, given that I have not enabled the 'push_notification' plugin? Interesting.
-Ralph
Thunderbird likely is. Apple could also just be doing background polling, and you'd never notice the difference unless you time it.
Aki
I think the Em Client app does not do background polling and does not update the count until it is opened. At the moment I have another issue with sieve. Will open a new topic.
On 09/17/2026 2:40 AM MDT Ralph Seichter via dovecot <dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
- Aki Tuomi via dovecot:
Basically you need to setup & configure a suitable plugin for this.
Not to be confused with IMAP IDLE, where you can sit around for notifications for new emails.
I guess this implies that Apple's iOS Mail and Thunderbird are relying on IDLE alone, given that I have not enabled the 'push_notification' plugin? Interesting.
Push notification plugin is Dovecot's internal system for sending these events. Enabling it by itself won't do anything for end users. There needs to be something linking this system to the external mail access protocol for it to be useful for mail clients.
michael
- Michael Slusarz via dovecot:
Push notification plugin is Dovecot's internal system for sending these events. Enabling it by itself won't do anything for end users. [...]
Thanks. So typical IMAP-based MUAs indeed need to either rely on IDLE or fall back to polling Dovecot. That's why I never had the need to enable Dovecot's push notication plugin, but still receive a heads-up when new mail arrives. That's what I understood to be the OP's requirement, too.
-Ralph
On 17 Sep 2026, at 10:25, Ralph Seichter via dovecot wrote:
- Michael Slusarz via dovecot:
Push notification plugin is Dovecot's internal system for sending these events. Enabling it by itself won't do anything for end users. [...]
Thanks. So typical IMAP-based MUAs indeed need to either rely on IDLE or fall back to polling Dovecot. That's why I never had the need to enable Dovecot's push notication plugin, but still receive a heads-up when new mail arrives. That's what I understood to be the OP's requirement, too.
The IMAP IDLE extension was created specifically so clients don't need to poll. When an IMAP client connects to an IMAP server, the server informs the client which IMAP extensions are supported. This is how the client knows if it can use IDLE or not, and if not, the client could fall back to polling.
--Randall
On 17 Sep 2026, at 10:25, Ralph Seichter via dovecot wrote:
o Michael Slusarz via dovecot:
Push notification plugin is Dovecot's internal system for sending
these
events. Enabling it by itself won't do anything for end users. [...]
Thanks. So typical IMAP-based MUAs indeed need to either rely on IDLE or
fall back to polling Dovecot. That's why I never had the need to enable
Dovecot's push notication plugin, but still receive a heads-up when new
mail arrives. That's what I understood to be the OP's requirement, too.The IMAP IDLE extension was created specifically so clients don't need to poll. When an IMAP client connects to an IMAP server, the server informs the client which IMAP extensions are supported. This is how the client knows if it can use IDLE or not, and if not, the client could fall back to polling.
--Randall
Got one customer using POP3 on older windows(7 or XP).
In 2.4 an error shows up in trying to retrieve his E-mail but not in 2.3
-- Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising! Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ; 31 years in the ISP business!
Any idea what error? Did you try downgrading tls version requirement? Anything corresponding in server logs?
Aki
On 19/09/2026 17:07 EEST The Doctor via dovecot <[1]dovecot@dovecot.org>
wrote:
Got one customer using POP3 on older windows(7 or XP).
In 2.4 an error shows up in trying to retrieve his E-mail
but not in 2.3
--
Member - Liberal International This is [2]doctor@nk.ca Ici
[3]doctor@nk.ca
Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist
rising!
Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ; 31 years in the ISP business!
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On Sat, Sep 19, 2026 at 5:22 PM The Doctor via dovecot <dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
Got one customer using POP3 on older windows(7 or XP).
In 2.4 an error shows up in trying to retrieve his E-mail but not in 2.3
And the error says? And how about the output of 'doveconf -n' in both instances?
-- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 In an Internet failure case, the #1 suspect is a constant: DNS. "Oh, the cruft.", egrep -v '^$|^.*#' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :-) [How to ask smart questions: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]
On Sat, Sep 19, 2026 at 5:22PM The Doctor via dovecot <[1]dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
Got one customer using POP3 on older windows(7 or XP).
In 2.4 an error shows up in trying to retrieve his E-mail
but not in 2.3And the error says? And how about the output of 'doveconf -n' in both instances?
Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 In an Internet failure case, the #1 suspect is a constant: DNS. "Oh, the cruft.", egrep -v '^$|^.*#' -\_(Tu)_/- :-) [How to ask smart questions: [2]http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]
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participants (7)
-
Aki Tuomi
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horst.simon2＠icloud.com
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Michael Slusarz
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Ralph Seichter
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Randall Gellens
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The Doctor
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Washington Odhiambo