We’ve heard reports of some Gmail users struggling to keep their Gmail account connected to third party email clients like Outlook and Apple Mail.
The issue may be linked to an update to Google’s OAuth 2.0 implementation that results in Gmail failing to authenticate with existing email client connections.
Through this update, third party email clients like Outlook, Apple Mail, and more may fail to refresh authentication and as a result, they ask for your password repeatedly.
Gmail OAuth Updates
Passkey logins and MFA are the future. They’re more secure and you don’t have to remember a password. If you’re logging in on your regular devices, authentication should happen completely in the background.
Google is heading towards passwordless logins for your Google Account on third party apps, and to accomplish this it’s building upon its implementation of OAuth 2.0.
Google has been in the process of making this transition since late 2023, but with the uptick in reports about Gmail failing to authenticate, it may be linked back to an update to the system last week.
Microsoft is reported to be doing away with password authentication for Outlook and Exchange platforms as early as April. That means Outlook users should potentially expect similar issues soon.
Why does this happen?
Google’s update to its backend OAuth implementation may have changed the way these third party email clients let you sign into a Gmail account.
That means that the email client is still trying to use a sign-in method that no longer works.
How to fix it
The quickest way to solve this is to remove your Gmail account from the client and then re-add it. This should force the client onto the newer authentication method and solve the issue.
This way you don’t lose any data and you don’t have to change your existing password.
Outlook App
In the Outlook app, tap the icon at the top left.
Tap the gear-shaped Settings icon at the bottom left.
Under the General heading, tap Accounts.
Tap your Google Account.
Scroll to the bottom at press Remove Account.
Follow the prompts to re-add the account to your Outlook app.
Apple Mail App
Enter your Settings App.
Search for Mail.
Tap Mail Accounts near the top.
Tap your Gmail account.
Tap Delete Account.
Return to Mail Accounts and re-add the account.
Outlook for PC and Mac
Hover over the account name and rightclick (Control-click on Mac).
Click Manage Account.
Next to the Gmail account, click Manage.
At the bottom, click Remove.
Re-add the account.
Apple Mail on Mac
While in the Mail app, click Mail in the menu bar, then click Accounts.
Click your Gmail account.
Click Delete Account.
Re-add the account.
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