FAQs

• How does Darwin Mail work?

  So what happens exactly is:

  1. The user logs into DarwinMail.app,
  2. DarwinMail makes a login request to Google's servers,
  3. Google logs the user in,
  4. DarwinMail asks for the users emails at which point this data is rendered in the user's browser.

  None of this email data is stored on DarwinMail's servers. There is no need! Think of all the space it would take up and the time that would be spent retrieving the data.

  Google's API & servers do the heavy lifting. DarwinMail allows you to view your emails just like Inbox, and hopefully provides (or will soon provide) the same kind of functionality :)

  How does DarwinMail technically work?

  The follwing is taken straight from Google's documentation, describing the exact process.

  This document explains how to implement OAuth 2.0 authorization to access Google APIs from a JavaScript web application. OAuth 2.0 allows users to share specific data with an application while keeping their usernames, passwords, and other information private. For example, an application can use OAuth 2.0 to obtain permission from users to store files in their Google Drives.

  This OAuth 2.0 flow is called the implicit grant flow. It is designed for applications that access APIs only while the user is present at the application. These applications are not able to store confidential information.

  In this flow, your app opens a Google URL that uses query parameters to identify your app and the type of API access that the app requires. You can open the URL in the current browser window or a popup. The user can authenticate with Google and grant the requested permissions. Google then redirects the user back to your app. The redirect includes an access token, which your app verifies and then uses to make API requests.

  Please feel free to check out the official documentation from Google for further reading.

• What data do you access about me?

  WE NEVER store any email data that belongs to you. Google has verified our compliance via a lengthy audit!

  • Manage mailbox labels — this allows DarwinMail to add and remove labels (inbox, snoozed, spam, etc) to your emails.
  • Manage your sensitive mail settings — this allows DarwinMail to update settings such as your forwarding address and aliases.
  • Manage you basic mail settings — this allows DarwinMail to update settings such as your signature and out of office reply.
  • View and modify but not delete your email — this allows DarwinMail to create your email (when you use the compose functionality), modify your email, and send your email (when you click the send button). This also allows you to update and save drafts.

  Please feel free to check out the official documentation from Google for further reading.

  Do you store our access tokens on your server?

  We do not store the access tokens on our servers! We simply authenticate the user with Gmail on initial page load, then check that the user is authenticated on every subsequent load. All of this is done in your browser. There is no need for DarwinMail to store your access token.

• Why would we use Darwin Mail over competitors?

  WE NEVER store any email data that belongs to you.

  • We will not sell your data, abuse our power or ignore your requests...
  • Because we respect your privacy.
  • We understand that the product can only become great if each & every suggestion is listened to.
  • We have a public roadmap, public changelog, and open lines of communication.
  • The primary focus of Darwin Mail is to help you be productive. Each and every change is made for that sole reason.

  Please feel free to check out our roadmap and our our changelog.

• Are you verified & authenticated by Google?

  Yes, DarwinMail is verified by Google!

  What does that mean?

  DarwinMail basically sits on top of Google's servers and displays the data in the same manner (and in time using the exact same features + more) as Inbox did.

  Darwin does not store any of your email data whatsoever. In fact, if it did, Google would have asked me to audit the tool - but they instead granted me Google verification. It took them almost a month to break down DarwinMail and make sure it did not store any user email data.

  If you have any questions on the verification process, please ask me! Or look here and here at the official Google documentation.

• What browsers do you support?

  We currently support several browsers. Darwin Mail has been tested on the latest versions of Chrome (76), Firefox (68) & Opera (58). But we are constantly making improvements to DarwinMail.

  If you would like to make a suggestion of your own, please give us feedback.

• Do you plan on building mobile apps?

  Yes, absolutely! Thank you for asking.

  I'm currently working on the web app. With our Product Hunt release, our being on the front page of Hacker News, and all the suggestions and feedback coming in, I should have enough information to make DarwinMail extremely stable.

  After it has achieved this stability, I will create mobile apps.

  For the moment, I have added meta tags to the header of each page on DarwinMail.app, which will allow you to save the web app icon to your phones homescreen, so it looks just like an app.

• I'm having issues logging in... what can I do?

  Pssst.. it appears third party cookies are disabled in your browser!

  ..but don't worry, we can show you how to enable them :)

  What browser are you using?

  • Chrome
    1. Open Chrome Settings, then click Advanced (down the bottom of the page).
    2. Under Privacy and security, click on Content Settings.
    3. Click on cookies.
    4. Make sure 'Block third-party cookies' is not checked & also make sure cookies are allowed.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Firefox
    1. Open Firefox Preferences, then click Privacy & Security.
    2. Click the custom Content Blocking option.
    3. Make sure you are not blocking third party cookies.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Safari
    1. Open Safari Preferences, then click Privacy in the top panel.
    2. Make sure 'Block all cookies' is not checked for cookies and website data.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Opera
    1. Open Opera Preferences, then click Advanced and then Privacy & Security.
    2. Under Privacy and security, click on Content Settings.
    3. Click on cookies.
    4. Make sure 'Allow sites to save and read cookie data (recommended)' is checked.
    5. Make sure 'Block third-party cookies' is not checked.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Internet Explorer
    1. Click Start > Control Panel. (Note: with Windows XP Classic View, click the Windows Start button > Settings > Control Panel).
    2. Double-click the Internet Options icon.
    3. Click the Privacy tab.
    4. Click the Advanced button.
    5. Select the option 'Override automatic cookie handling' under the Cookies section in the Advanced Privacy Settings window.
    6. Select the 'Accept' or 'Prompt' option under 'First-party Cookies.'
    7. Select the 'Accept' or 'Prompt' option under 'Third-party Cookies.' (Note: if you select the 'Prompt' option, you'll be prompted to click OK every time a website attempts to send you a cookie.)
    8. In the Internet Options window, click OK to exit.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Brave
    1. Open Brave Settings for DarwinMail.app by clicking the Brave (Lion) icon in your URL bar.
    2. Make sure the 'Cookies blocked' & 'Scripts blocked' options are not checked or selected.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Samsung
    1. Open your browser settings, then click Privacy.
    2. Make sure 'Accept cookies' is checked.

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

  • Other
    1. The reason you cannot access DarwinMail is because access to third-party cookies is not enabled.
    2. Please look in the other browser solutions (above) to see how you can enable cookies in other browsers. The steps are more than likely very similar for enabling third-party cookies in your borwser.
    3. If you still cannot find a solution, please email me and I will find one for you :)
    4. My email address is joeytawadrous@gmail.com

    PS: Please make sure that you do not have any browser plugins enabled that may block third party cookies. Plugins such as Ghostery & Privacy Badger have been known to block all third party cookies by default.

    If you would like to learn more about how DarwinMail works, please visit our faqs or feel free to reach out :)

• I have a suggestion! No, wait, I have a bug!

  Thank you so much for your interest in DarwinMail.

  If you want to help us debug the issue - please..

  1. Right click -> press inspect -> click the Console button... As described here
  2. Then tell us what messages you see logged (2. showThreads start.. etc - if any!) (better yet - screenshot?)
  3. We will be able to figure out your issue then!

  PS: If your issue is that you're not seing your snoozed emails/reminders from gmail in Darwin Mail that is because Google does not allow access to their snoozed items - so I have to create a new label for Darwin Mail!

  Let us know what feature you would like implemented or what bug you have found!