Using a POP mail account in mac mail

To sync email with multiple devices you must use IMAP protocol rather than POP protocol.

For POP:

That's not exactly correct. It doesn't matter which device it recieves it on first or if the website receives it first. What matters is the settings in applications and what's done at the website. As long as it's on the server, it will download to any device that hasn't already downloaded the message.

If you check at the website first and delete the message from the inbox at the website, it will remove it from the server and won't be available to other devices. IF you leave it in the inbox, it will be available to other devices for download.

On other devices, what happens depends on what setting you have stored for the server:

For Mail application, check Mail preferences under the accounts tab. Highlight the account and click on the advanced button. Inbox settings can be made here from never to imediately and inbetween.

If you set it not to remove it from the server when moved from the inbox, it will be available to other devices. I usually like to set to remove imediately when message is moved from the inbox, but that's a personal choice.

For iPhone, also check settings.

An alternative is you can also change it to IMAP for total syncing.

For the bellsouth.net account I use, there are no settings at the site to change server settings and should be the same for sbc.net. As long as it's in the inbox there, it's still on the server.

Each device has it's own read list stored locally on it. That's why it will redownload to different devices. Although as I described earlier, you can set a device such as your computer using Mail to imediately delete it from the server once downloaded. Then it will no longer be available.

What you can check at the website in more options for Mail is to make sure the account if forwarded as POP.

If you wish to have true sync abilities, you can try setting up as IMAP. Instead of deleting or changing the POP account, add another. When the screen comes up, hold the option key down to continue and you will have the option to set up the type of account. If the IMAP works out, then you can disable or delete the POP account.

Settings for incoming server: imap.mail.yahoo.com port 993 SSL password authentication

Settings for outgoing server: smtp.mail.yahoo.com default port SSL password authentication

For POP:

The following mail server settings will work with all AT&T email domains: @ameritech.net, @att.net, @bellsouth.net, @flash.net, @nvbell.net, @pacbell.net, @prodigy.net, @sbcglobal.net, @snet.net, @swbell.net, @wans.net.

I assume the settings you are refering to gives that delay for marking the messages as read when highlighted for that period of time. Probably for scrolling through the list without changing the unread status. Lion doesn't have that selection, so I can't test that at the moment.

I didn't mean to set up a new yahoo account. I meant add (duplicate the account) a new account to Mail, using the same info. Just set up as IMAP with the IMAP settings. One set up as IMAP, and leave the POP. You could have just disabled the POP in the Mail prefs under Accounts>Advanced Tab.

You can also just go to the POP accounts and change the server and port settings.

Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

That would have given you a choice to test both without having to keep changing the settings. You could then just delete the POP or IMAP after choosing the one you wished to keep.