Know what’s come in
Ask whether someone has written, what a long email says or when a client last got in touch.
How to connect your email to WhatsApp (Gmail, iCloud, IMAP)
Email accounts have no direct connection to WhatsApp. With Ugo, an AI assistant with its own WhatsApp number, you enter your mailbox’s address and password on the portal (for Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo and other providers the servers are already filled in): from then on you ask it in the chat what’s come in and have it write your replies, which only go out once you confirm.
Why connect Email (IMAP and SMTP) to WhatsApp
Emails arrive while you’re with a client or in the car, and on your phone it’s awkward both to read them and to reply: the answer waits until the evening. Meanwhile your inbox fills up with newsletters and notifications that hide what matters.
By connecting your email to WhatsApp with Ugo, you ask “has my accountant emailed?” and get a two-line summary; you say what to reply and Ugo writes the full email. Before sending, moving or deleting it, it shows you what it’s about to do and waits for your “Confirm”.
How to connect Email (IMAP and SMTP) to WhatsApp, step by step
It takes a few minutes. You do the first two steps only once, then you connect as many apps as you like.
- 1
Create your Ugo account
Sign up at app.ciaougo.com with your email and password and enter your company name.
- 2
Link your WhatsApp
In Settings → WhatsApp, generate a code and send it in a chat to Ugo’s number: from then on Ugo recognises your number.
- 3
Switch on the Email skill
On the Ugo portal, open Skills and tap Connect mailbox on the Email card.
- 4
Choose your provider
Under Email provider, choose yours (Gmail, Outlook / Microsoft 365, iCloud, Yahoo): the IMAP and SMTP servers fill in by themselves. If yours isn’t listed, as with BT Mail or your own domain, choose “Other (enter the servers)” and copy the details from your provider’s instructions.
- 5
Enter your address and password
Type your address, username and password. Gmail needs an app password: create one under Google Account → Security → 2-Step Verification → App passwords.
- 6
Tap Check and save
Ugo tries to read your mailbox and connect to the outgoing server: if something’s wrong, it tells you straight away, with the reason.
- 7
Message Ugo on WhatsApp
Send “Do I have unread emails?” in your chat with Ugo: if it replies with your emails, the connection works.
What you can do with Email (IMAP and SMTP) on WhatsApp
Reply in a few words
Say what to reply, and Ugo writes the full email and shows it to you: it leaves your mailbox only after your OK.
Keep your inbox tidy
Move newsletters to a folder, mark notifications as read or delete what you don’t need, always once you confirm.
A summary at the time you choose
With scheduled tasks Ugo tells you, every Monday morning for example, which emails you haven’t replied to yet.
The first messages to send
- Do I have unread emails?
- When did Bennett last email me?
- Move the newsletters to Archive
Any important emails since this morning?
Since this morning you’ve had 3 emails: • Laura Bennett: asks if Thursday’s delivery is OK • GoDaddy: your domain expires on the 30th • 1 newsletter Laura is waiting for a reply.
Tell her Thursday’s perfect
Replying to Laura Bennett, “Order delivery”: “Hi Laura, Thursday’s perfect. Speak soon.” Shall I send it?
What Ugo doesn’t do (yet)
- It doesn’t open attachments: it tells you their names, but doesn’t read what’s inside.
- It doesn’t attach files to the emails it writes, and when it forwards an email the attachments don’t go with it.
- If your company has turned off IMAP access with a password, as often happens with Microsoft 365, the mailbox won’t connect: in that case use the Outlook Mail skill.
Other ways to connect Email (IMAP and SMTP) to WhatsApp
Ugo isn’t the only option. Here are the most common alternatives, and when they make sense.
Notifications from your email app
They tell you when an email arrives, but to read it, reply or tidy up you have to open the app and do it yourself.
Automations with Zapier or Make
They can forward a WhatsApp alert for emails from certain senders, but you need the WhatsApp Business API and some set-up, and to reply you go back to your inbox.
AI assistants inside your email
Gmail and Outlook offer assistants that summarise and write emails, but they work inside their own app, not on WhatsApp and not with your other mailboxes.
Questions about Email (IMAP and SMTP) and WhatsApp
Can I connect my email to WhatsApp for free?
Neither email providers nor WhatsApp offer a direct connection. Ugo costs €50 a month per person (or €550 a year), excl. VAT, with the Email skill and every other app included.
Where does my mailbox password end up?
In Ugo’s database in Frankfurt, encrypted. If you use an app password you can revoke it from your provider, and you can disconnect the mailbox from the portal at any time.
Why does Gmail want an app password?
Google doesn’t accept your normal password for IMAP access. Turn on 2-Step Verification, generate an app password in the security settings of your Google account and paste it into the Ugo portal.
I use Microsoft 365: Email or Outlook Mail?
Outlook Mail: you connect with Microsoft sign-in, without giving Ugo your password, and it works even when your company has turned off IMAP. The two skills do the same things.
More guides: Email
Connect Email (IMAP and SMTP) to WhatsApp
Create your account, link your number and switch on Email (IMAP and SMTP) from the portal. Every app is included in the subscription.
