How to transition from SMTP to Gmail sync

If you are switching from an SMTP email provider to Gmail, you will now have the option of utilizing two-way sync between Gmail and Front. Going forward, you can also add new Gmail inboxes to Front with two-way sync.

The two-way sync means that both inbound and outbound emails will be synced between Front and Gmail. If you send in Front, you'll see it in Gmail; if you send in Gmail, you'll see it in Front. For Front accounts on legacy sync: open or archived conversation status will also be synced both ways — so when you archive a conversation in Front, it's also archived in Gmail, granted that your settings have not changed the sync, explained here. 

Want more details about what exactly syncs? Learn more here.

If you want to transition your SMTP shared inboxes to the Gmail sync, you will need to be a Front admin and have the Gmail login credentials to make the changes.

You will first remove the SMTP channel you've been using. Do not delete the inbox if you want to keep your conversation history in Front — just remove the channel. You'll then add a new channel for that email account using the new sync channel option. See instructions below for the detailed steps.

As long as you do not delete the inbox when you remove the channel, existing conversations in Front will not be affected when you make this switch. For Front accounts on legacy sync: If you update a conversation (like archiving it) after you reconnect with sync, the conversation will sync that action at that time.

Important: Any drafts you composed using your existing channel will not be retained, so be sure to send or delete any remaining drafts before proceeding.

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and select company, workspace, or personal settings in the left sidebar, depending on the space you’re working with.

Step 2

Remove the channel containing the SMTP channel, by following the steps here.

Removing the channel will not delete any of your email history that is already in the inbox, which means it will retain any comments and activities made to the emails in Front.

If you want to delete all history in Front and start a fresh import of emails from Gmail, then you can follow these steps to delete the inbox instead.

Step 3

Once you've removed the old SMTP channel, you can create a new Gmail channel by following the steps here starting from Step 3.

This feature is available on all plans.