Using email on your smartphone is different than using it on your desktop or laptop. The cell phone system is your network, and the transmission while on your network is secure.
In other words, there is no transmission between your phone and your router. The transmission is between your phone and the cell tower (i.e., the phone company system). After that, the email message travels internally on the phone company’s network. Next, the phone company transmits the message to the email server (your email provider’s email server). Then the message goes out over the internet toward the recipient as set forth in Step 9 in the prior chapter.
This is good security until the transmission between the phone company and the email server, an unencrypted transmission; that is, only the initial part of this path is secure.
If the recipient uses a phone for email, this path works in reverse.
If the sender and recipient are both customers of the same phone company and the phone company provides the email server, the phone company passes the messages over its network and transmits it to the recipient’s phone. It does not go over the internet. However, you can’t count on this, because this path changes if the sender or recipient does not disable their Wi-Fi thus potentially causing an insecure transmission over the internet.
Wi-Fi
Yes, there’s a big red flag. Cellphones can use Wi-Fi too. You may not be aware of whether your cell phone is using a phone transmission or a Wi-Fi transmission to handle your email at any particular time. And many people turn off their data transmissions to save money (on their cellphone bill) forcing email to go over Wi-Fi. Consequently, you’re never sure how your email is transmitted on a cellphone. When your phone (or your recipient’s phone) uses Wi-Fi for email transmissions, you need to take all the precautions that you take for laptops, desktops, and tablets.
Tablets
Most tablets do not have phone service but do have Wi-Fi. Consequently, you can think of tablets as the same as desktops or laptops instead of as phones.
Apps
Phones and tablets require different email programs than laptops and desktops. The email software needs to run on a different operating system, specifically iOS (Apple) and Android (Google). Such programs are called apps. All phones and tablets come with a native email app. Nonetheless, you can choose to use another email app.
Thus, if you use iPhones and iPads, you need Apple apps. Get them at the Apple App Store.
If you use other phones and tablets, you need Android apps. Get them at Google Play.
Specifically, for RMail services you can use the RMail for iPad app for iOS (Apple) devices. There are no RMail apps for Android yet.
Keep in mind, however, for either iOS or Android you can use RMail Inbox or RMail Web (see Chapters 6 and 7) inside your phone’s or tablet’s web browser app without having to use a special app.
What It Boils Down To
Since you don’t necessarily know whether your phone will use the phone system or Wi-Fi, you need to assume it will use Wi-Fi. Therefore, from a security point of view, you need to think of your email use via your phone and tablet just the same as you do for your desktop or laptop.
