E-mail - identities

Feature Proposal
1

Is there an option in DC to use other identities linked to the e-mail account?

My email provider allows to protect my main e-mail address which is used as an username by creating aliases.

If I send e-mails from my alias@domain.com the recipient doesn’t see in the header name of my main account.

I must log in to the pop3/imap/smtp server via username@domain.com – this is my main email address.

In the e-mail client I can use my other identity and send an e-mail from alias@domain.com - e.g. Thunderbird

I think this is important feature regarding privacy and security – I don’t want to disclose my username and my main e-mail account to everyone I want to chat with. I can always delete alias if I receive spam I cannot do the same with my main address.

2

Hi Pichsi,

yes, this is possible. You just have to setup Deltachat as the same way you setup Thunderbird.
I use also alias adresses as you describe.

1 Like
3

If you have any working examples of how to configure DeltaChat in this manner please share (redacting personal info of course.) I’m interested in doing the same thing in order to protect the identity of my main account.

4

Just follow this steps:
1.add your alias-address in the field “E Mail Address”
2.add your mail password
3.tap “+ Advanced”
4.add for “IMAP login name” and “SMTP login name” your “Main Address”
5. tap the checkmark in the upper right corner to enter datas

Now it should work.

Maybe you have to set SMTP and IMAP Server.
But probably not.

I hope you will understand my bad english.

2 Likes
5

I created a new DC account using my main e-mail account: username@domain.com.

Recently I changed ONLY the e-mail address: alias@domain.com

Then I added a new contact ( I scanned the qr code I received via another channel etc.) and we obtained a green check mark.

Today I exported private key from the phone to read messages on Thunderbird - it works btw.

I realized that the key is not generated for the changed e-mail address i.e. alias@domain.com

The key did not change. >!!!The key id is for username@domain.com!!!<

Subject: …
From: xxx@xxx.xxx
To: alias@domain.com
…
Chat-Version: 1.0
Autocrypt: xxx; prefer-encrypt=mutual;
…
MIME-Version: 1.0
…
Content-Description: OpenPGP encrypted message
Content-Disposition: inline; filename=“encrypted.asc”;
Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name=“encrypted.asc”

-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
…
-----END PGP MESSAGE-----

gpg: encrypted with 256-bit ECDH key, ID XXXXX, created 2023-XX-XX
“username@domain.com”

I deleted the account and set up again an account for alias@domain.com - now the key is for alias@domain.com

6

Yes, if you don’t want the two identities to be linked, deleting the account for username@domain.com and logging in with alias@domain.com is the right course of action.

If you just change username (+ password), but don’t delete the old account, your key stays the same. If you do this, delta assumes that you want your identities to be linked, and just migrate to a different account out of convenience, or because your old account stopped working (see: FAQ - Delta Chat )