App-specific passwords

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Why you need an app-specific password

Mister Plimsoll sends email alerts by signing in to your email provider’s outgoing mail server (SMTP). For security reasons, most providers no longer accept your normal account password from third-party apps. Instead, they ask you to create a separate app-specific password: a one-off password that exists only to let one app sign in.

If you delete or revoke the password later, Mister Plimsoll loses access — your main account is unaffected.

How to create one

• iCloud (Apple Account) Visit account.apple.com > Sign-In and Security > App-Specific Passwords. You’ll need two-factor authentication enabled on your Apple Account.
• Gmail Visit myaccount.google.com/apppasswords. Requires 2-Step Verification on your Google account. Use smtp.gmail.com on port 587.
• Fastmail Visit app.fastmail.com/settings/security/integrations > New app password. Use smtp.fastmail.com on port 587.
• Yahoo Mail Visit login.yahoo.com/account/security > Generate app password. Use smtp.mail.yahoo.com on port 587.
• Other providers Search your provider’s help pages for “app password” or “app-specific password.” Most major providers now offer them.

Once you have one

Open Mister Plimsoll > Settings > Notifications > Email. Paste the app-specific password into the password field. Mister Plimsoll stores it in the macOS Keychain, encrypted, on your Mac alone — it never leaves your machine except to talk to your email provider’s SMTP server.