Thunderbird, the open supply e mail software, is coming to Android because of the Ok-9 Mail Android e mail app mission, which is becoming a member of Thunderbird to turn out to be the Thunderbird Android e mail app.
Two years in the past Mozilla Basis moved Thunderbird to its subsidiary MZLA Applied sciences Company in an analogous possession construction to Firefox beneath the muse’s subsidiary, Mozilla Company. The brand new subsidiary allowed the Thunderbird mission to plot its personal path with new options like OpenPGP end-to-end encryption and a long-awaited cell app.
In response to the Thunderbird crew, talks between Thunderbird product supervisor Ryan Lee Sipes and Ok-9’s lead maintainer Christian Ketterer over a potential collaboration for a Thunderbird e mail app began in 2018.
Quick ahead to 2022, the 2 have determined one of the best path ahead is for Ok-9 to easily be a part of Thunderbird quite than Thunderbird constructing its personal app from scratch.
“Many Thunderbird customers have requested for a Thunderbird expertise on cell, which we intend to offer by serving to make Ok-9 wonderful (and turning it into Thunderbird on Android). Ok-9 will complement the Thunderbird expertise and improve the place and the way customers are capable of have an excellent e mail expertise. Our dedication to desktop Thunderbird is unchanged, most of our crew is dedicated to creating {that a} best-in-class e mail shopper and it’ll stay that means,” Thunderbird mentioned.
This implies Ok-9 will tackle the Thunderbird identify and branding. However first, Ok-9 Mail will should be aligned with Thunderbird’s characteristic set and visible look.
“To perform that, we’ll commit funds and growth time to repeatedly bettering Ok-9 Mail. We’ll be including model new options and introducing quality-of-life enhancements,” the Thunderbird crew mentioned in a blogpost.
Ok-9 is not a vastly widespread e mail app on Google Play however has had 5 million downloads from the Google Play Retailer.
The roadmap for Ok-9 Mail at present contains: creating account setup utilizing Thunderbird account auto-configuration; improved folder administration; help for message filters, and syncing between desktop and cell Thunderbird.
Whereas Thunderbird acknowledges there’s been demand for a Thunderbird app on iOS, the mission solely says in an FAQ that it’s at present “evaluating” that possibility.
The crew says it stays dedicated to desktop Thunderbird and that Ok-9 Mail will likely be “introduced in-line with Thunderbird from a characteristic perspective, and we’ll be certain that syncing between Thunderbird and Ok-9/Thunderbird on Android is seamless.”
The Thunderbird crew additionally plans to supply Firefox Sync as as an choice to sync accounts between Thunderbird and Ok-9 Mail. This must be carried out in summer season 2023.
The mission can be exploring what Thunderbird options to deliver to the Android app, corresponding to help for calendars, duties, feeds and chat.
