If you are a Gmail AND a Mac user and you’ve recently upgraded to OS X 10.10 Yosemite, you may have recently seen the message below in your email inbox;
Have you seen this? If not, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. If you have, then what you need to know is that Google has recently begun tightening up their security measures, and an application on your Mac that accesses your Google account (Apple Mail) is somehow not viewed by Google as secure. Something in Yosemite seems to be triggering a raised security flag with Google, who then blocks the sign in attempt and then lets you know with an email message like the one above. It’s a bit confusing to receive these notices and to know what to do.
You’ve got a couple choices. The first option is a better option, but it’s a little more work. Option 1 requires that you remove your Gmail account from your Mac and set it back up again. To do so, visit your System Preferences, where you’ll click Internet Accounts. Select your Gmail account in the list on the left side and then click the minus (—) symbol at the bottom left. Doing this will remove access to your Gmail account on your Mac (for the moment). After confirming the removal of the account, while you’re still in the same window, click the plus (+) and follow the prompts to add your Gmail account back into your Mac. This will require your Gmail password, so be absolutely sure you have this before you proceed with this option! It will take a few minutes before you’re able to check your email in the Mail application, so you’ll need to be patient. I recommend this option for those who are a bit more familiar and comfortable with changing the system settings on their Mac.
Option 2 is much easier and faster, but can reduce the security of your account. This requires following the second link that appeared in your email from Google, or click here. The website that opens may ask you to login to your Google account, which requires your Gmail address and password. Once logged in, the following page gives you two options regarding ‘Access for less secure apps.’ You can choose to Turn On or Turn Off. Choosing Turn Off should prevent those emails from Google. Changing these settings prevents so many raised security flags with Google so that they don’t block your sign in attempts, most of which are legitimate sign in attempts made by your Mac when you check your email. It’s hard to say if this is really an important security measure, or if this is Google trying to get people to use their products instead of those of their competitors. Ironically, the Apple Mail app on your Mac is NOT listed on Google’s information page as an app that uses poor security standards.
Email accounts are compromised all too often, and you’ll know if it happens to you when someone asks you why you sent them an email on where to buy cheap Viagra, etc. The solution to this is always to change your password, which you have to do at the website of your email provider, i.e. Gmail.com. No need to panic if this happens to you, just change your password and apologize to your friends for the weird email ‘you’ sent them.