Gmail is currently testing out Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). Only a few accounts are being tested for IMAP as of right now, but I would not be surprised if this feature gets implemented across all GMail accounts since it is a feature that is highly on-demand. There is also a Help page of IMAP Client Lists as well.
Having IMAP work on GMail means that users will be able to integrate the web service into Microsoft Outlook. And all changes made to emails including delete, reading, etc. will be accounted for when logging into GMail. When GMail was supporting only POP e-mail forwarding, reading and deleting emails on Microsoft Outlook was not accounted for when logging into GMail.com.
For those who have Gmail and have access to the IMAP feature can switch it on by using the “Forwarding and POP IMAP” tab under Settings. For those who use Microsoft Outlook on their phones may have to find out whether their e-mail platforms support IMAP.
