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Original author(s) | Jesse Vincent |
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Developer(s) | MZLA Technologies Corporation, Christian Ketterer |
Initial release | 27 October 2008 |
Stable release | 8.2 / 10 December 2024 |
Repository | |
Written in | Java, Kotlin |
Operating system | Android |
Type | Email application |
License | Apache License 2.0 |
Website | k9mail |
K-9 Mail is a free and open source email client for Android. It is designed as an alternative to the stock email clients included with the platform; it supports both POP3 and IMAP protocols and supports IMAP IDLE for real-time notifications. The project is named after the Doctor Who character K9. [1]
For end users, K-9 Mail started to transition towards becoming Thunderbird for Android in October 2024. [2] [3]
The source code was first published to its git repository on October 27, 2008 [4] by Jesse Vincent and the first binaries were released to the public on the Google Code site the same month. [5]
In 2015 the project received $86,000 of funding from the Open Technology Fund. [6]
On 13 June 2022, it was announced that K-9 Mail had been taken over by MZLA Technologies Corporation, a subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation with current maintainer Christian Ketterer joining the team, and plans for K-9 Mail to be rebranded as Thunderbird for Android following the completion of a feature roadmap, including sync with Thunderbird on PC, integrating Thunderbird's automated account setup system, message filtering, and improvements to folders. [7]
On 30 October 2024, the first stable release of Thunderbird for Android (Thunderbird Mobile) was launched as version 8.0. [3] Thunderbird for Android can be installed via Google Play and F-Droid, among others. [8] The Thunderbird team had planned in 2022 to maintain K-9 for one year after the release of Thunderbird Mobile, i.e. until roughly October 2025. [9]
On 6 May 2025, the stable version 10 of Thunderbird Mobile and the beta of version 11 were released. [10]
In the early 2010s it was widely reviewed, and was particularly praised in the media between 2011 and 2013 as a replacement for the default mail application. [11] [12] At the time, it was a leading alternative Android app, often recommended [13] when a user did not want to use the default app. It was awarded the "Best App for Sending Email" in the 2010 "Best Android Apps" book. [14]
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