SPAM filters for the IPhone

While there is a brief comment on what sounds like the solution elsewhere in this thread, I've set up a fantastic spam filter system. Here are the details:

1) You'll need a second account with your ISP or workplace. "nospam@isp.com"

2) Mac Mail has a great series of rules, that with some work, can produce a very clean list of real mail, and a very short list of possible "wanted" mail. In my setting, I get more than 150 mail per day, only about 10 are real. We have three accounts, collectively I'll call them "fullofspam@isp.com"

3) In the rule settings, make the "last rule" to forward all messages (mail does not need you to specify which box) to "nospam@isp.com"

4) Set mail to check your accounts every several minutes, but to not remove mail from the server for a day or more.

This allows me to see each real e-mail ONCE on my desktop, as I need it on my laptop, and when I need it on my iPhone.

The important thing to remember, is to never send any mail from "nospam@isp.com" else it will also start collecting spam on it's own. Conversely, never check the incoming mail from "fullofspam@isp.com" on your iPhone for fear of inadvertently validating the address and attracting more spam.


Hope that this helps.

Adam

PS--You windoze folks may be out of luck. The Windoze mail clients often cannot recognize mail that they've already downloaded, or be as slick with setting up rules to handle the spam.

The iPhone mail client does not have a SPAM filter. For you to filter SPAM, you will have to rely on your email provider.

In my opinion, GMail has the best SMAP filters around. If you set up a free GMail account, you should notice a significant reduction in spam. If you use the "Other" option to configure it on your iPhone, you can use a different reply-to address (like, for example, your current email address), and then go to your current email provider and forward all your emails to your GMail account. This will pass all your email through the Google SPAM filter before you download it to your iPhone.

curious why you are using the "OTHER" to setup gmail,
and not the shortcut they have for it on the iPhone?

Because the shortcut wont let me specify a different reply-to address. It will only let me use myid@gmail.com. I have my work mail forwarded to my GMail account, and when I reply, I want my emails to look like they come from myid@myworkserver.com. The shortcut wont let me do that.

I have all the spam filters on my provider. It just
not enough. I guess my solutions would be to set up
another account and forward my outlooked cleaned
messages with a rule.

Thanks for your help.

My main email IDs where on my servers hosted by Valueweb, and they use Brightmail from Norton. It is just not very good at all. I get literally a HUNDRED emails a day, and 10 of those I want. And this is with spam filtering turned ON.

GMail filters are either more aggressive or better designed, don't know which but I RARELY get any spam. I participate in a dozen forums and subscribe to threads all the time, and all those emails come through fine (like they should). I'm not sure if it has caught real mail I wanted, but if it has I haven't noticed.

Bottom line - not all spam filters are created equal. I am unsure as to Yahoo's spam filters, as I dont use those accounts to receive mail - everything is forwarded to my GMail accounts.

For an effective anti-spam solution for the iPhone you need to have a spam filtering service that filters at the service provider level, not the desktop level. Keep in mind that your iPhone is pulling mail directly from the service provider, so any filtering you have on your desktop is not effective until you dock your iPhone and let it sync with your desktop mail client.

Gmail is an option I have seen many references to as being a good spam filtering alternative. Another option, and this is a better option for businesses, is to use a 3rd party spam filtering service. My company does provide this service and if anyone is interested in trying the service out for a 30 day trial, I'd be happy to set you up free of charge. You do need to have your own domain name, but the service is extremely effective and affordable. It's not free like Gmail, but I think our service is more catered towards businesses.

If interested and you would like to learn more, please visit my website at http://www.bigmountaindesign.com . Our contact information is there and I'd be happy to talk to anyone personally about spam filtering, our email services and how it functions with the iPhone. Thanks!

Jon

curious why you are using the "OTHER" to setup gmail, and not the shortcut they have for it on the iPhone?

where did you get that option?
I just went in to OTHER and setup gmail and it gives me all the same ADVANCED options as the shortcut one did. strange

ahh, you must be setting the outgoing to the other mail server for work so it passes through there instead

The appropriate place to screen out SPAM is at the server, and then at the client, not the device.