What email app is there that has this particular feature:

I'd like to only download the most recent N emails.

I don't used the phone for email except once in a while, and having to
download all my email to get to the most recent ones is not good. it's
worse now because normally I leave no email on the server but for
strange reasons now I have 10,000 or more.

I've been using K-9, but afaik it won't do this. Its Help system is hit
and miss, and sometimes it refuses to dl at all!!!!

I also used Thunderbird on the PC and it looked like I have from last
October until now, so Okay, I can do that. At about 9000 emails, I was
getting close, May 7, until I notice it was May 7 of last year, so I
prbably have another 18,000 to go!!! I just want the most recent 200.

micky wrote:

> What email app is there that has this particular feature:
>
> I'd like to only download the most recent N emails.
>
> I don't used the phone for email except once in a while, and having to
> download all my email to get to the most recent ones is not good. it's
> worse now because normally I leave no email on the server but for
> strange reasons now I have 10,000 or more.
>
> I've been using K-9, but afaik it won't do this. Its Help system is hit
> and miss, and sometimes it refuses to dl at all!!!!
>
> I also used Thunderbird on the PC and it looked like I have from last
> October until now, so Okay, I can do that. At about 9000 emails, I was
> getting close, May 7, until I notice it was May 7 of last year, so I
> prbably have another 18,000 to go!!! I just want the most recent 200.

My phone's battery is died (got pregnant, won't charge), and am waiting
for a replacement battery, so I can't go in to check if the MS Outlook
app that I use has the following feature.

Check if the e-mail app will download headers only. That's not exactly
what you asked for (download the most N recent e-mails), but it will
severely reduce the bandwidth for checking if there is new e-mail. Only
the overview headers get downloaded, like Subject, From, Date, etc., but
the non-overview and bodies are not downloaded. You have to
double-click or mark the messages for which you want fully downloaded.

Another feature of desktop e-mail clients is restricting downloads
except for e-mails that are under some threshold in size. Usually that
means you still get the headers, but not the bodies. That way you
aren't downloading huge e-mails, like some boob that thinks you just
must see videos of their kittens. Unfortunately, desktop clients have
far more features than apps (UWP, Android, IOS). That is, apps are
small size in code hence far less featured. You said you use K9, so you
have this option to limit the size for when messages are retrieved.

https://docs.k9mail.app/en/current/settings/account/
Fetch messages up to
Set a limit on how much of a message is downloaded during
synchronization. When viewing messages larger than this value you will
see a button saying Download complete message that allows you to
download the rest of the message.

Also mentioned there is a "Sync messages from" option that lets you
specify a time span from which to elect which messages to download.
It's only available for use on IMAP accounts. You didn't mention what
type of e-mail accounts you are accessing with your unidentified Android
device.

While I use the MS Outlook app on an Android phone, I don't recall it
having either of the above features. Alas, I can't load it on my
currently dead phone. I know several users like BlueMail, but someone
that uses it can tell you if either of the above options are available
(I'm not going to bother reading more documentation on clients that I
don't use).

Configuring the e-mail client to NOT include external images might also
help to reduce bandwidth. Only works if the image was added as a
hyperlink instead of attached. Whether disposition=attached or
disposition=inline, that means the long text encoded MIME part to define
the image is still in the message. Blocking of external images are for
those that are linked, not attached, and is often the default to thwart
tracking of when you opened an e-mail.

Another option might be in the Android system settings. You may be able
to go to the Android's settings, under Apps, select your unidentified
e-mail client that you are currently using, and configure it to only
download via wifi. That will block the app from Internet access when
there is only a cellular connection to your phone, but allow Internet
access when your phone has a wifi connection (provided the wifi hotspot
to which you connect grants you Internet access). You would then save
on bandwidth when your phone only has a cellular connection, and likely
you don't have to pay for any wifi bandwidth.

In article <1uudo63akzjws$.dlg@v.nguard.lh>, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH>
wrote:

> >
> > I'd like to only download the most recent N emails.
> >

....

> Check if the e-mail app will download headers only.

it does if it supports imap, which is just about every email app these
days, both mobile and desktop. pop is obsolete and should not be used,
especially on a mobile device.

....

> Unfortunately, desktop clients have
> far more features than apps (UWP, Android, IOS). That is, apps are
> small size in code hence far less featured. You said you use K9, so you
> have this option to limit the size for when messages are retrieved.

that is absolutely false. mobile email apps can have the same or more
features than a desktop version.

it's up to the developer what features are offered, not the device.

On 5/9/2022 12:51 PM, micky wrote:
> What email app is there that has this particular feature:
>
> I'd like to only download the most recent N emails.
>
> I don't used the phone for email except once in a while, and having to
> download all my email to get to the most recent ones is not good. it's
> worse now because normally I leave no email on the server but for
> strange reasons now I have 10,000 or more.
>
> I've been using K-9, but afaik it won't do this. Its Help system is hit
> and miss, and sometimes it refuses to dl at all!!!!
>
> I also used Thunderbird on the PC and it looked like I have from last
> October until now, so Okay, I can do that. At about 9000 emails, I was
> getting close, May 7, until I notice it was May 7 of last year, so I
> prbably have another 18,000 to go!!! I just want the most recent 200.

I sent this, but it disappeared, so trying again.

Put "recent:" (without the quotes) at the beginning of the account name
in the server settings. This will cause it to only load a reasonable
number of recent messages when you sync. I use this for my POP3 accounts
on both Thunderbird and K9.

In comp.mobile.android, on Tue, 10 May 2022 12:11:05 -0700, Bob F
<bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 5/9/2022 12:51 PM, micky wrote:
>> What email app is there that has this particular feature:
>>
>> I'd like to only download the most recent N emails.
>>
>> I don't used the phone for email except once in a while, and having to
>> download all my email to get to the most recent ones is not good. it's
>> worse now because normally I leave no email on the server but for
>> strange reasons now I have 10,000 or more.
>>
>> I've been using K-9, but afaik it won't do this. Its Help system is hit
>> and miss, and sometimes it refuses to dl at all!!!!
>>
>> I also used Thunderbird on the PC and it looked like I have from last
>> October until now, so Okay, I can do that. At about 9000 emails, I was
>> getting close, May 7, until I notice it was May 7 of last year, so I
>> prbably have another 18,000 to go!!! I just want the most recent 200.
>
>I sent this, but it disappeared, so trying again.
>
>Put "recent:" (without the quotes) at the beginning of the account name
>in the server settings. This will cause it to only load a reasonable
>number of recent messages when you sync. I use this for my POP3 accounts
>on both Thunderbird and K9.

This is great. I was told to use recent: for gmail but iddn't realize
it had other uses.

And it's also easier than starting up with new software, in both cases.

Thanks for posting a second time.