StartMail App vs. Webmail features

This article explains which features are available in the StartMail App and Webmail and the main differences between the two.

The StartMail App and StartMail Webmail give you access to the same StartMail account, but each is designed for a slightly different purpose.

The StartMail App is designed for convenient everyday email use on your mobile device, including several features that take advantage of your phone and allow you to keep working when you are offline.

StartMail Webmail provides the full browser-based experience and remains the place to manage many account, security, domain, subscription, and email configuration settings.
 

StartMail App

• Dark Mode
• Use StartMail while offline
• Attach photos and files directly from your phone
• Preview attachments in the app
• Mobile gestures and controls
• Additional App features

StartMail Webmail

• Dark Mode
• Account and security
• Filters and email automation
• Domains
• Subscription and billing
• Migration Tool
• Additional Webmail features

Feature overview

Features available in the StartMail App

Dark Mode

Under Appearance, the App provides options that include:

• Light
• Dark
• Follow System

Follow System allows the App's Light/Dark appearance to match your phone settings. You can also select Light or Dark independently of your phone's current appearance setting.
 

Use StartMail while offline

The StartMail App can continue to provide access to certain information even when your device does not have an internet connection.

Previously opened messages remain available for reading, including their message body and formatting. Messages that have not previously been opened may still appear in your message list, but their complete contents need to be retrieved while you are online.

You can also compose a new message while offline. If you send it while there is no connection, the message remains queued until your device reconnects. You can edit or delete the queued message before it is sent.

Offline data stored by the app, including emails, contacts, aliases and queued messages, is encrypted on the device.

Note: Contacts are encrypted and stored securely, but they are stored outside the User Vault.
 

Attach photos and files directly from your phone

When composing a message in the StartMail App, you can:

• Attach a file from your device
• Select an image from your photo library
• Take a new photo and attach it directly to the message

This provides quicker access to content already available on your mobile device.

Attachments need to be added while you are online. An email containing text can be composed and queued while offline, but attachments cannot currently be added to an offline message.
 

Preview attachments in the app

The StartMail App includes built-in viewing for common attachment types.

You can preview PDF, DOCX, plain-text and image attachments without having to leave the app. Images also provide access to appropriate device options such as sharing or saving the file.
 

Mobile gestures and controls

The App includes controls designed specifically for a touchscreen.

For example:

• Swipe a message to access actions such as More, Flag, and Trash
• Swipe an alias to copy it or start composing a message
• Pull down on lists to refresh them
• Use haptic feedback on supported devices

There is one navigation gesture currently available in Webmail but not in the App: while viewing a message in Webmail, you can swipe left or right to move to the previous or next message.
 

Additional App features

The App also provides several mobile-specific settings, including:

• Haptic feedback – turn supported touch feedback on or off
• Auto-decrypt emails – automatically decrypt supported PGP messages using saved passphrases
• Clear saved passphrases – remove passphrases saved for automatic decryption
• Sender avatars – control the display of sender avatars
• Remote images – choose whether externally hosted images are loaded automatically
   

Features available in StartMail Webmail

Some features affect your entire StartMail account rather than an individual device. These settings continue to be managed through Webmail.

Once configured, many of them also affect what you see or use in the StartMail App.
 

Dark Mode

Webmail also supports Dark Mode. You can find it under:

Settings > Appearance > Dark Mode

Unlike the App's Follow System option, Webmail's Dark Mode is selected manually.
 

Account and security

Use Webmail to manage:

• Your StartMail account password
• Recovery email addresses
• Recovery codes
• PGP keys and the PGP keyring
• Trusted devices
• IMAP passwords
• Other account and encryption settings

For example, trusted-device and IMAP credentials are created and managed in Webmail rather than in the App.
 

Filters and email automation

The following are configured in Webmail:

• Filters
• Auto-reply
• Signatures
• Blocked senders
• Default message settings

These settings operate at the account level.

For example, if a Webmail filter automatically places incoming messages into a folder, those messages will also appear in that folder when you use the App.

Likewise, a signature configured for an identity in Webmail can be used when sending from the App.
 

Domains

Custom-domain administration remains in Webmail.

This includes tasks such as:

• Adding and verifying domains
• Managing domain aliases
• Configuring catch-all behavior
• Managing other domain-related settings
   

Subscription and billing

Use Webmail to manage your StartMail subscription, including:

• Changing your subscription
• Updating payment information
• Accessing invoices
• Managing group subscriptions where applicable

These functions are not handled through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
 

Migration Tool

The Migration Tool is available in Webmail.

Use it when moving to StartMail from another email provider to import supported email and folders into your StartMail account.
 

Additional Webmail features

Other Webmail-only tools and functions include:

• Report phishing
• Contact import
• Migration Tool
• Emoji picker
• Multi-account switcher
• Storage meter
• Guides and tutorials

Which should I use?

For most everyday email tasks on your phone, the StartMail App provides the most convenient experience. It adds offline access, mobile attachment options, built-in previews, mobile gestures and device-specific settings.

Use StartMail Webmail when you need to configure or administer your account, including security settings, PGP keys, IMAP access, filters, domains, billing, migration and other account-level tools.

You do not have to choose between them. The App and Webmail access the same StartMail account, and changes made at the account level in Webmail are reflected where applicable when you use the App.