ActiveSync¶

Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol support for mobile devices and Outlook clients.

What's planned¶

ActiveSync is the protocol that Microsoft Exchange uses to sync email, contacts, and calendars to mobile devices and desktop Outlook clients. Adding ActiveSync support means Mailyte users can connect their iPhones, Android phones, and Outlook desktop clients using the familiar "Exchange" account type -- no special app or IMAP configuration needed.

Why ActiveSync matters¶

IMAP works fine for syncing email, but it doesn't handle contacts and calendars. ActiveSync bundles all three into one protocol, which is what users expect when they set up "Exchange" on their phone. Without it, you need separate protocols (IMAP for mail, CardDAV for contacts, CalDAV for calendars) and most non-technical users struggle with that setup.

Planned architecture¶

flowchart LR
    A[Mobile Device\nor Outlook] -->|HTTPS| B[ActiveSync\nGateway]
    B --> C[Dovecot\nIMAP]
    B --> D[CalDAV\nServer]
    B --> E[CardDAV\nServer]
    C --> F[(Mail Storage)]
    D --> G[(Calendar DB)]
    E --> H[(Contact DB)]

The ActiveSync gateway will act as a translation layer, converting ActiveSync protocol commands into IMAP, CalDAV, and CardDAV requests against the existing backends.

Planned features¶

• Email push notifications. Real-time email delivery notifications to mobile devices (no polling delay).
• Contact sync. Two-way sync of contacts between the server and connected devices.
• Calendar sync. Two-way sync of calendar events, including meeting invitations.
• Remote wipe. If a device is lost or stolen, remotely erase email data from it.
• Per-org provisioning. Organizations can control which ActiveSync features are available to their users.
• Multi-tenant aware. Each organization's data is isolated, just like all other Mailyte features.

Planned configuration¶

Things to know¶

• This feature doesn't exist yet. No ActiveSync configuration settings are functional.
• IMAP and POP3 are fully available today. If you need email access on mobile devices right now, configure them with IMAP (preferred) or POP3. Most modern email clients support IMAP.
• ActiveSync is a complex protocol. Microsoft's specification is extensive, and compatibility across different client versions (iOS Mail, Android Gmail, Outlook 2016 vs. 2019 vs. new Outlook) varies. The implementation will be rolled out incrementally, starting with email sync and expanding to contacts and calendars.
• Z-Push or similar. The planned implementation may be based on an open-source ActiveSync implementation like Z-Push, adapted for Mailyte's multi-tenant architecture.