Students: Mobile passcode required for Gmail app

A UB staff member works on his phone while his laptop sits open on the table in front of him.

Published August 14, 2018 This content is archived.

Have you received a “Device Policy Alert” on your phone when you tried to check your UBmail, asking you to set a passcode? You’re not alone. This is due to a recent change made by Google for added security.

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What has changed?

UB students who don’t use a passcode on their mobile device are noticing a “Device Policy Alert” pop-up when trying to access UBmail using the Gmail app.

The popup says: “Domain buffalo.edu requires you to set a passcode on this device to access this account. Please set a passcode and try again."

This is because Google, the maker of the Gmail app and provider of UBmail for students, has made this the standard for all of their email services for business and education.

Read Google’s blog post about the policy change

What do I have to do?

Going forward, if you want to access UBmail powered by Google on the Gmail mobile app, you’ll need to set a passcode.

Passcodes are particularly important on mobile devices, because they prevent others from viewing your private content—like email—if your device is lost or stolen.

Get more tips for securing your mobile devices

At this time, only the Gmail app requires a passcode to access UBmail powered by Google. If you use IMAP to sync UBmail to your device using another app, you will not be required to add a passcode.

Get help

For questions about UBmail, contact the UBIT Help Center, by phone at 716-645-3542, online at buffalo.edu/ubit/help, or at one of our walk-up locations on North or South Campus.