Frequently asked questions

Ordinary Gmail is not end-to-end encrypted. Transport protection, encrypted credentials and selected encrypted server records are different from client-side messaging. Real encrypted messaging is not available yet; the isolated fictional preview has no encryption, authentication or delivery. Optional passphrase-locked offline copies protect selected saved text only, not the original email.

1. Do not enter private content in the design preview.
2. Review the Privacy Notice and Help → What is encrypted before relying on any security claim.

Use Account to export stored PonyXpress data or review and confirm permanent deletion, even without accepting updated Terms. This does not delete Google originals, contacts, events or Google-synced drafts; revoke Google permission separately. Failed cleanup can be retried, and uncertain running actions may need reconciliation. The Privacy Notice explains recovery markers and unresolved backup/log retention.

1. Open Account while signed in.
2. Export first if wanted; protect the downloaded file.
3. Review deletion effects, confirm, and follow any cleanup or retry message.

Talk it through supports typed sessions, read-aloud, short recordings and an explicitly started conversation on supported browsers. It is not an always-on background listener. Cloud assistance requires adult eligibility, configured AI, ordinary Scout consent and applicable mailbox/action grants. The natural AI voice has separate permission: email or agenda text goes to OpenAI to generate speech; audio is not stored by PonyXpress. An available on-device voice stays local. Transcription clips go to OpenAI and raw audio is not persisted. Review and submit a manual recording’s transcript, or choose Start conversation to submit spoken questions automatically on pause and listen again after Scout answers. A microphone indicator and End conversation control stay visible. Conversation mode pauses after silence and ends after ten minutes or leaving the page; raw speech never confirms a mail change or draft save. PDF review separately sends a selected confirmed PDF’s first 6 pages (up to 8 MB) as text and page images. Sessions are encrypted for up to 7 days, included in export/deletion and cleared on withdrawal. OpenAI API retention is separate, not zero retention. The packaged desktop blocks microphones. Scout Voice saves reviewed drafts, never sends mail, and cannot access real encrypted messages, which are unavailable.

1. Open Ride Ahead and choose Talk it through.
2. Open Voice and privacy to turn each permission on or off, choose a natural voice, or tap Preview to hear a fixed sample.

Cloud AI requires consent. Ride Ahead has separate inbox-wide consent and optional learning/style settings. OpenAI API content is not used to train general models by default; standard abuse-monitoring retention can be up to 30 days, with legal and safety exceptions. Ordinary Scout never sends attachments; Scout Voice PDF review is a separate permission and sends only a PDF you select and confirm.

1. Review Settings → Privacy for conversation AI.
2. Review Ride Ahead → Settings separately for inbox-wide analysis, sign-in runs and learning choices.
3. Turn optional features off when you do not want new analysis. Read the Privacy Notice for details.

Yes, after preparing the separate offline reader online and explicitly saving selected loaded conversations with a separate passphrase. Limits are 50 conversations, 200 messages and 8 MiB of plain text, kept 1, 7 or 30 days. No attachments, HTML, sending or full-app offline startup. Unlock needs online validation within seven days. Forgotten passphrases cannot be recovered, and offline devices cannot be erased remotely at once.

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Saved copies for offline reading while signed in online.
2. Choose loaded conversations, retention and a separate passphrase.
3. Open the /offline/ reader online first; bookmark it. Supported browser storage and a production-prepared shell are required for cold startup.

Use a Mailbag, which is a Gmail label, and a Route. After you preview and enable the rule, Routes perform only your configured filing of matching new incoming mail while PonyXpress processing runs. They do not send, forward or delete mail.

1. Open Mailbags and Routes, or select conversations and choose Create Route.
2. Choose specific senders or domains, a Mailbag for each account, and whether to keep or skip the inbox.
3. Preview the matches, then confirm and save. Existing mail needs its own reviewed filing action.

Yes. On touch screens, swipe right to archive and left to move a thread to recoverable Trash. Desktop users can hover or keyboard-focus a thread for quick actions. A touch quick-actions menu is also available.

1. Make a deliberate horizontal swipe and release, or choose an action from the thread controls.
2. Use Undo in the confirmation for up to ten seconds if needed.
3. Quick actions preserve unsent drafts and never permanently delete messages. Swiping is disabled during multi-selection.

Yes. You can search for attachment filenames, but PonyXpress does not search inside attachment contents.

1. Enter the filename or a distinctive part of it in the mail search box.
2. For an exact Gmail-style filename filter, try filename:report.pdf.
3. If you get no matches, check the account and folder you are viewing.

Yes. In a connected mailbox, open the message and choose Review invitation beside its .ics attachment. Previewing never creates an event, RSVPs, opens embedded links or notifies anyone. Saving makes a calendar copy, not a response to the original organizer.

1. Review the title, start/end, timezone, location and original organizer, then choose Choose calendar and review.
2. Choose a writable calendar in your own connected accounts. Check the details and confirm the email-derived date and timezone, then review and save. No guests are copied; adding guests and sending invitations requires separate explicit permission.
3. The original email keeps a saved-plan notice and Go to event link. The invitation UID is deduplicated within its receiving mailbox, even across attachments or destination calendars. An unconfirmed import blocks another copy: check the calendar rather than starting over.
4. Initially supported: one non-recurring VEVENT, UTF-8 .ics up to 128 KiB, explicit start/end, all-day dates or minute-precision UTC/IANA timezone times. All-day end dates in files are exclusive. Recurrence, embedded VTIMEZONE definitions, floating/ambiguous times, nested components/alarms, DURATION, cancellations and multiple events show an unsupported/invalid message. Preview information is untrusted email content; verify it.

Underlined dates and Scout suggestions can open a reviewed event or reminder draft linked to the source email. Suggested dates, times and details still need your confirmation.

1. Open the message and choose an underlined date or a Scout recommendation.
2. Review the suggested title, date, timezone and location. Events can include reviewed guests; invitations require an explicit choice.
3. Save the event or reminder. Use its linked source email to refer back to the conversation.

A new reminder is a private PonyXpress task alarm with Snooze and Mark done, not a meeting with duration, busy time or guests. It does not need Google Calendar permission and is not a Google Calendar event or Google Task. Earlier calendar-based reminders remain unchanged. Use an event for a scheduled meeting or appointment.

1. Choose Reminder when reviewing a date in an email.
2. Confirm what you need to do and when you want the alarm.
3. When it alerts, Snooze it or Mark done. Notification permissions and device limits still apply.

Calendar alerts can arrive in the background on supported enrolled devices. They require notification permission, eligible hosting and device support. Delivery and sounds are controlled by the browser and operating system; they cannot be guaranteed when a device is offline or suppressing notifications. New-mail alerts work while the app is open.

1. Open Settings → Calendar alerts and enroll the device.
2. Grant notification permission and review quiet hours.
3. Check system notification and sound settings, Focus / Do Not Disturb, and the limitations shown for your device.

PonyXpress can ask whether to display local or home time when it detects a device timezone change. Changing the display timezone must not move your existing events or reminders.

1. Choose local or home time in the travel prompt.
2. Use Settings → Travel and display timezone to review your choice.
3. Confirm the timezone when creating new items from an email.

Yes. PonyXpress is free to use, with no payment required. A free PonyXpress account and your agreement to the Terms and Privacy Notice are required before connecting real mail.

1. Choose Create free account on the website.
2. Sign up, review the agreement, then connect your Gmail mailbox.

PonyXpress connects Gmail and Google Workspace mailboxes individually, not Outlook, Yahoo or IMAP accounts. Signing in to PonyXpress and authorizing Google mailbox access are separate steps. Google connection setup must be available on this server, and Workspace administrators may restrict access.

1. Open Settings → Connected accounts.
2. Choose Add another account and complete Google authorization for that mailbox.
3. Use its account name and color to distinguish it in All inboxes.

The Downloads page shows which installers are actually available. A release is not downloadable until a real installer has been built and listed there. You can use the browser app or fictional demo in the meantime.

1. Open Downloads on the website.
2. Choose an available installer for your operating system and follow its instructions.
3. If no installer is listed, use the browser version rather than an unofficial download.

Google may require you to approve mailbox access again. Reconnect the affected mailbox without sharing your Google password with PonyXpress or support.

1. Open Settings → Connected accounts.
2. Choose Reconnect beside the affected mailbox.
3. Complete Google authorization, then refresh your mail.

Signatures and the email editor support rich text, including email-safe fonts, sizes, colors, links and images. Always review the result before sending.

1. Open Signatures and edit or create a signature for the intended account.
2. Use the formatting and image controls to add your text and logo.
3. Select that signature in compose or reply and review it before pressing Send.

Ride Ahead helps you catch up with counted review groups, reply drafts, today’s schedule and expandable cleanup suggestions. It is manual by default, with optional sign-in auto-run. Live inbox-wide cloud analysis needs separate consent, saved settings and configured AI; reports can be partial. Looks good approves a reply but does not send it: open it in the composer to send.

1. Open Ride Ahead and choose your settings the first time.
2. Review the cloud-analysis and optional learning choices, then save.
3. Run the report, review urgent items first and approve any proposed action yourself. You can change the settings later.