How To Send And Open An Encrypted Email On Android
Encrypted email is one of the most useful features of any email software when sending sensitive messages.
It allows you to have more confidence that nobody will be able to intercept your messages, and that only the person you want to read your email will be able to.
In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how to send and open encrypted emails on your Android device!
How To Send And Open An Encrypted Email On Android
The way you send and open encrypted emails depends on your email provider.
In this guide we will be focusing on Gmail and Outlook, as these are the two most common Android email platforms.
On Gmail
Sending An Encrypted Email On Android
- Open up the Gmail application on your Android device.
- Start composing a new email by pressing the normal “Compose” button.
3. In the top right corner of the composition screen, you’ll notice a three-dot menu. Tap on this, then tap on the “Confidential mode” that appears in the drop-down menu.
4. If the “Confidential mode” slider has not automatically been set to on, slide it to the on position.
5. Set the expiry date for the message. After this time, the message will be unable to be seen by your intended recipient.
6. Set the password method. You have two choices for this:
- Standard. The recipient will be able to open the email automatically on their Gmail app. If they don’t use the Gmail app, they’ll be emailed a password.
- SMS. The recipient will be texted the password to open the email.
Tap “Save”. You’re all set up! Write and send your email as normal.
Remove Access Early
You can remove access to your email before the expiry date you set if necessary:
1. Open the Gmail app on your Android device.
2. Go into the Menu and locate the “Sent” option.
3. Go to the confidential email you have sent and open it.
4. Tap “Remove access” at the bottom of the screen.
Opening An Encrypted Email On Android
Provided you have the password, you will need to open the email and enter the password.
If you are using the Gmail app and the sender has used the “Standard” method, you can simply open the email as normal.
Note that you can’t copy, paste, download, or print the email or its attachments.
You will only be able to see the email and attachments until the sender’s chosen expiration date arrives, or they remove access.
On Outlook (New Version)
Sending encrypted emails on Outlook requires a certificate that is generally provided by your organization’s IT network. For more information, you can check out this article on the Microsoft website.
If your organization is using current software, you should be able to open an encrypted email using the outlook app with no difference to a normal email.
If this isn’t working, try the old version instructions, or contact your IT department.
On Outlook (Old Version)
In the older version of Outlook, you need a separate application to view encrypted emails, called the “Office Message Encryption (OME) Viewer”.
This app is no longer offered on the app store, so you will need to already have it installed, or install it from another source.
Once you have the app, follow these steps to view an encrypted message:
- Open the email in the Outlook app. You should see an attachment called “message.txt”
- Tap on the attachment. When prompted, select “OME viewer”.
- The app will prompt you to authenticate yourself. You can select either…
- One-time passcode. A passcode will be emailed to you, which you can then tap on to unlock the encrypted message.
- Sign in. You will be prompted to sign in with your Microsoft account.
- You’ll now be able to view the email and any attachments, as well as download any attachments and reply to the email.
Key Takeaways
Encrypted email is possible on both the Gmail and Outlook apps for Android devices.
Sending and receiving encrypted messages is reasonably easy, and adds an extra layer of security to your communications!
Depending on which app you use, you can set expiry dates for the emails you send as well.