Thunderbird for Android has finally entered beta, giving users a chance to test the next iteration of K-9 Mail, already one of the more popular Android email clients.

Thunderbird acquired the K-9 email client roughly two years ago, with the plan to use it as a basis for a dedicated Thunderbird for Android. After two years of work, the public is finally able to try a beta of the new app.

The Thunderbird team is asking for help from beta testers, identifying specific things that need testing.

Once you’ve downloaded the Thunderbird for Android beta, we’d like you to check that you can do the following:

• Automatic Setup (user only provides email address and maybe password)
• Manual Setup (user provides server settings)
• Read Messages
• Fetch Messages
• Switch accounts
• Move email to folder
• Notify for new message
• Edit drafts
• Write message
• Send message
• Email actions: reply, forward
• Delete email
• NOT experience data loss

The team is also interested in making sure the transfer from K-9 Mail works correctly.

If you’re already using K-9 Mail, you can help test an important feature: transferring your data from K-9 Mail to Thunderbird for Android. To do this, you’ll need to make sure you’ve upgraded to the latest beta version of K-9 Mail.

This transfer process is a key step in making it easier for K-9 Mail users to move over to Thunderbird. Testing this will help ensure a smooth and reliable experience for future users making the switch.

Later builds will additionally include a way to transfer your information from Thunderbird Desktop to Thunderbird for Android.

The team also asks that users not inundate them with bug reports or feature requests outside of the areas they are specifically targeting during the beta.

Having an official Thunderbird client on Android will be a big step forward, adding valuable name recognition to what was already one of the best email apps available on the platform.

Beta testers can provide feedback on the Thunderbird for Android beta mailing list, or chat with other members on the Thunderbird Matrix.