K-9 no longer accepted. Sky says "Update your email application today!"

[Iolo and Peibyn]

I have 3 email accounts at Sky and about two months ago Sky sent one of them an email (see its text below) warning that I needed to change my app and/or program by late February 2020 if I wanted to continue using that email account via my app and/or program.   I quickly posted a message in this group asking if "K-9" was going to be upgraded security-wise.

A member of this group suggested that Sky's requirement may be that apps must use SSL, but, as we know, "K-9" allows users to select Direct SSL, and I have been using that option for years in "K-9". But SSL cannot have been the issue because now I find I can no longer access that Sky account using either my app or my Windows email client, the excellent "Pegasus Mail".

And now, today, I have received a second email from Sky. Sky has moved on to a second of my 3 Sky email accounts, and sent me the same email as before, as pasted in below. So, very soon I won't be able to access my emails in that second account either, using "K-9" or "Pegasus Mail"!  And then, no doubt, Sky will move on to my 3rd email account in the same way!

I can still access all 3 accounts by signing into either Sky or Yahoo, but I don't wish to attend to emailing on either website.  I wish to keep using my trusted email clients.

How do you K-9 developers feel about K-9 now?  Do you yourselves no longer use it?  Would you recommend an app which is even better than K-9 but which is totally up-to-date regarding the latest security standards?

I have asked on the Sky Community Forum if Sky could say what it now requires of apps or programs exactly, in terms of security, so that I could pass that information on to you. 

Please advise.

Thank you.

Iolo.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Update your email application today!

 

Dear (redacted),

 

We've noticed that you may be accessing your Sky.com email on your mobile, tablet or other device using an out-of-date version of an email application such as Apple Mail, Outlook or Windows Live Mail.

 

To ensure a better and more consistent experience for all our customers, out-of-date versions of these email applications will no longer be supported by Sky.com email from 09/03/2020.

 

This means you will need to update your email application to the latest version, which will include new features, enhanced security standards and better usability.

 

If you decide not to update your email application, you will no longer be able to access your Sky.com email using this method on or after 09/03/2020.

 

However, you will still be able to access your sky.com email via Sky.com

 

To verify this email and get all the help you need, please head to Sky.com and click on the section titled 'Help accessing Sky mails via email apps' on the homepage.

 

Please note you do not need to reset or change your password for your Sky.com email address.

 

Kind regards,
Sky.

[Uwe Deutscher]

I use Pegasus Mail on Windows as well and K-9 on Android.

If your email provider is so stupid as to refuse to cooperate with both of those excellent clients, I would suggest to change your provider.

Maybe you can set a permanent forwarding of all incoming mails to another email account to ensure you don't miss any?


-------- Ursprüngliche Nachricht --------
Von: Iolo and Peibyn <ioloan...@gmail.com>
Gesendet: 24. Februar 2020 22:26:55 MEZ
An: K-9 Mail Developers List <k-9...@googlegroups.com>
Betreff: [k-9-dev] K-9 no longer accepted. Sky says "Update your email application today!"

I have 3 email accounts at Sky and about two months ago Sky sent one of
them an email (see its text below) warning that I needed to change my app
and/or program by late February 2020 if I wanted to continue using that
email account via my app and/or program. I quickly posted a message in
this group asking if "K-9" was going to be upgraded security-wise.


A member of this group suggested that Sky's requirement may be that apps
must use SSL, but, as we know, "K-9" allows users to select Direct SSL, and
I have been using that option for years in "K-9". But SSL cannot have been
the issue because now I find I can no longer access that Sky account using
either my app or my Windows email client, the excellent "Pegasus Mail".


And now, today, I have received a second email from Sky. Sky has moved on
to a second of my 3 Sky email accounts, and sent me the same email as
before, as pasted in below. So, very soon I won't be able to access my
emails in that second account either, using "K-9" or "Pegasus Mail"! And
then, no doubt, Sky will move on to my 3rd email account in the same way!


I can still access all 3 accounts by signing into either Sky or Yahoo, but
I don't wish to attend to emailing on either website. I wish to keep using
my trusted email clients.

*How do you K-9 developers feel about K-9 now? Do you yourselves no longer

use it? Would you recommend an app which is even better than K-9 but which

is totally up-to-date regarding the latest security standards?*


*I have asked on the Sky Community Forum if Sky could say what it now

requires of apps or programs exactly, in terms of security, so that I could

pass that information on to you.*

Please advise.


Thank you.


Iolo.


----------------------------------------------------------------

*Update your email application today!*

Dear (redacted),



We've noticed that you may be accessing your Sky.com email on your mobile,
tablet or other device using an out-of-date version of an email application
such as Apple Mail, Outlook or Windows Live Mail.



To ensure a better and more consistent experience for all our customers,
out-of-date versions of these email applications will no longer be
supported by Sky.com email from 09/03/2020.



This means you will need to update your email application to the latest
version, which will include new features, enhanced security standards and
better usability.



If you decide not to update your email application, you will no longer be
able to access your Sky.com email using this method on or after 09/03/2020.



However, you will still be able to access your sky.com email via Sky.com



To verify this email and get all the help you need, please head to Sky.com
and click on the section titled 'Help accessing Sky mails via email apps'
on the homepage.



Please note you do not need to reset or change your password for your
Sky.com email address.



Kind regards,
Sky.

--
Diese Nachricht wurde von meinem Android-Mobiltelefon mit K-9 Mail gesendet.

[Greg Troxel]

Iolo and Peibyn <ioloan...@gmail.com> writes:

So you have pointed out that Sky is refusing to work with multiple
clients, but you have NOT explained what they are doing, nor have you
gotten them to explain to you.

> *How do you K-9 developers feel about K-9 now? Do you yourselves no longer

> use it? Would you recommend an app which is even better than K-9 but which

> is totally up-to-date regarding the latest security standards?*

You seem to be making up some notion of "latest security standards" and
assuming without any basis that Sky is being sensible. Other than some
new google auth scheme, there has been nothing on this list that I can
remember about an actual security deficiency in k-9.

> *I have asked on the Sky Community Forum if Sky could say what it now

> requires of apps or programs exactly, in terms of security, so that I could

> pass that information on to you.*

It would be polite if you found out what was going on before making
accusations. Regardless of that, random vague accusations are not
helpful and most people are just going to ignore them. If you can point
to a public statement from Sky about what they require including links
to open specifications, then it's possible to begin to talk about this.

[Greg Troxel]

Greg Troxel <g...@lexort.com> writes:

> You seem to be making up some notion of "latest security standards" and
> assuming without any basis that Sky is being sensible. Other than some
> new google auth scheme, there has been nothing on this list that I can
> remember about an actual security deficiency in k-9.

I should clarify: not supporting the google auth scheme is not a
security deficiency in k-9. It is simply lacking a way to do something
extra that google seems to be demanding and claims is better. (I'm
going to not address whether a server only accepting authentication via
the new scheme is safer.)

[Iolo and Peibyn]

Thank you to everyone who has been helpful. Below is all the advice I have received from Sky, Pegasus-Mail , and K-9 forums.

 

It’s believed that Yahoo now requires use of the Open Authentication (OAuth2) login protocol, as described at:
https://oauth.net/2/

 

As the Android "K-9" app and the Windows "Pegasus Mail" program don’t provide for this protocol, then as a workaround users may be able to use an "application-specific password" in place of the normal password, which ISPs give directions on how to generate. Sky gives directions here:
https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Email/16-character-App-Password-for-Sky-Yahoo-Mail/td-p/3089577 

(Be sure to be logged into the correct account when generating the app password, but it may be best to log out of all accounts so that you are asked for the relevant details when creating the password.)

 

Apparently Yahoo is not the only ISP now insisting on OpenAuth logins. See the description of the issue at:
https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Email/Summary-of-Oauth-compatible-apps-for-Windows-users/m-p/3138647#M75341 

 

Pegasus Mail’s developer is apparently planning to support OAuth, but only for GMail.

 

It’s been suggested that Sky/Yahoo email accounts should be substituted with Gmail accounts, or that emails be redirected from Sky accounts to Gmail accounts.

 

So unfortunately it looks like I will either have to ditch the Android email app and Windows email program I love, or set a day or two aside for a lot of troublesome experimentation.

 

If anyone has already trodden the path and has additional advice to give I would be grateful to receive it.

 

Thanks.

 

[Iolo and Peibyn]

Just in case it helps anyone hoping to continue using email apps or email programs which Sky has not listed as now being authorised or compatible with their email servers, here is what I have managed to do in order to keep using the excellent "Pegasus Mail" (for Windows) and the superb "K-9" for Android. 

 

Old apps and programs will continue to work if you simply use a password which Sky/Yahoo will generate for you!

 

To generate passwords for Sky/Yahoo email accounts:
at www.sky.com log-in by clicking the "Yahoo Mail Sign In" box, instead of "Come on in".

 

Then enter the email address and your ordinary Sky password.
This will take you to your email account.

 

Open a new tab and enter www.sky.com, and below your account name select "My Details"
(If you can’t find the "My Details" link, see the note below this paragraph.)
If you have been able to click on "My Details" then scroll down to "Sky Yahoo Mail access" and click "Manage passwords".

 

Answer the questions, then copy the generated password,
then enter that password it into your email app or program wherever a password is needed.
Some apps need only be given it once,
others need it to be entered separately in the incoming server settings and the outgoing server settings.

 

While you are doing this copy the password to a notepad document or somesuch, to keep in a secured place for possible future use.

 

If you can’t find the "My Details" link referred to above, then after you have signed in just paste the following link to the generator into the address bar:
https://skyid.sky.com/signin/skycom?successUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fsky-yahoo-mail%2Fmanage-apps%3Fclient%3Demail&cancelUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2F

 

Many thanks to the half-dozen members of this community who have helped me implement the above procedure.   I used it this afternoon to reconnect 3 Sky/Yahoo email accounts on four devices:

- a Windows desktop using the Rolls Royce of email clients, "Pegasus Email",

- a Linux laptop using the "Thunderbird" email client,

- an Android Tablet using the marvellous "K-9" email app, and

- an Android Phone also using the marvellous "K-9" email app.

 

The whole process happened flawlessly, and all is now perfect again in my Internet world!