Email integration is temporarily unavailable while we work on improvements. You can still generate letters and send them by copying from your dashboard. See Sending your letter for instructions.
Connecting your email is optional but significantly streamlines your case. Once connected, you can send letters directly from your dashboard, institution replies are detected and processed automatically, and conversations stay in one thread.
What connecting does
- Send letters directly: letters are sent from your own email address, through your own account. The institution sees a normal email from you, not from a third party.
- Replies detected automatically: when the institution responds to an email you sent through the system, the reply is detected in real time. The system downloads the email and any attachments, analyses the response, creates the next roadmap step, and notifies you. No manual uploading needed.
- Conversations stay threaded: replies go into the same email thread as the original letter. The institution sees a continuous conversation, not separate disconnected emails.
- Evidence attached automatically: when sending a letter that references evidence, the system can attach the relevant documents directly to the email.
Supported providers
- Gmail (Google): connects via OAuth. You sign in to Google directly and grant access. No password shared with ADVICIFAS.
- Outlook (Microsoft): connects via OAuth. You sign in to Microsoft directly and grant access. No password shared with ADVICIFAS.
- Other email providers (Yahoo, iCloud, AOL, custom domains, etc.): connects via IMAP. You enter your email address and password into a secure hosted authentication page. ADVICIFAS never sees or stores your password; it's encrypted and handled entirely by the authentication provider. Some providers (like iCloud) may require you to generate an app-specific password from your account settings first.
How to connect
Go to the Email tab in your profile:
- Tap "Connect email": you'll be redirected to a secure authentication page.
- Choose your provider: Gmail, Outlook, or other (IMAP).
- Sign in: for Gmail and Outlook, you sign in via OAuth (the standard secure method). For other providers, you enter your email address and password into the secure hosted page.
- You're connected: the system confirms the connection and shows your connected email address and provider.
For Gmail and Outlook, the connection uses OAuth; you sign in directly with your provider and ADVICIFAS never sees your password. For IMAP providers, your credentials are entered into a secure hosted page and encrypted with AES-256 at rest. In all cases, ADVICIFAS never has access to your email password.
Sending letters via email
When you reach the send step for any letter, you'll see two options:
- "Send directly from my email": if your email is connected. The letter is sent from your email address to the institution. Evidence can be attached.
- "I'll send it myself": the letter is copied to your clipboard for you to paste into your own email client. This is always available, connected or not.
When you send directly, the institution receives a normal email from your address. There is no mention of ADVICIFAS. The email is formatted cleanly and the subject line is set automatically based on your case.
Automatic reply detection
This is the biggest benefit of connecting your email. When the institution replies:
- The reply is detected in real time: the system monitors your connected inbox for responses from the institution.
- Email and attachments are downloaded: including PDFs, documents, and any files they attached. Password-protected files are handled automatically where possible.
- The response is analysed: the system determines the outcome, extracts quotes and weaknesses, records GDPR breaches, and creates the next roadmap step.
- You receive a notification: in-app and by email, so you know they've responded.
- Your roadmap updates: the next step appears automatically based on what they said.
Auto-detection only works for replies to letters sent through the system. If you sent letters before connecting your email, or if the institution responds via post or a separate email, you'll need to upload the response manually.
What the institution sees
Nothing unusual. The institution sees:
- A normal email from your address: not from a service or third party
- Your name as the sender: matching your email account
- A threaded conversation: replies appear in the same thread as the original letter
- Standard email formatting: clean, professional, no branding or footers from ADVICIFAS
Disconnecting
To disconnect, go to your profile → Email tab. You'll see your connected account and provider. Tap "Disconnect email" at the bottom of the connection card. When you disconnect:
- Sending reverts to manual: you'll copy and paste letters into your own email client
- Reply detection stops: you'll need to upload institution responses manually
- Existing case data is unaffected: everything already sent, received, and analysed stays in your case
You can reconnect at any time. You can also revoke access from your email provider's security settings (Google Account → Security → Third-party access, or Microsoft Account → Privacy → Apps and services).
Do I need to connect?
No. Email connection is optional. Everything the system does (letter generation, response analysis, escalation, deadline tracking) works the same whether your email is connected or not. The difference is convenience:
- Connected: send directly, replies detected and processed automatically, conversations threaded.
- Not connected: copy and paste letters, upload responses manually. Same analysis, same letters, same escalation.
