What is Custom SMTP
Custom SMTP lets you send Timetics AI emails through your own mail server instead of ours. You plug in the SMTP details from your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Amazon SES, Mailgun, your hosting company, whatever you use), and from then on booking confirmations, reminders and notifications leave from your address on your server.
Why do you need this
Emails that come from your own domain look like they came from you, because they did. Your customer sees your business name in the sender field instead of a Timetics address, replies land in your inbox, and the message carries your domain’s sending reputation, SPF and DKIM. That usually means better inbox placement and fewer emails lost to spam folders. You also get the sending logs on your side, so if a customer says they never got the confirmation, you can check your own mail server and see exactly what happened.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Collect Your SMTP Details
Get these from your email provider before you start: SMTP host, port, username, password, and the address you want emails to come from. Most providers list them on a page called “SMTP settings” or “Sending settings”. Many providers want an app password rather than your normal login password.
Step 2: Open Integrations
Navigate to Dashboard → Integrations. Click the “Automation” tab, or type “SMTP” in the search box, and find the SMTP Email card.
Step 3: Click Connect
Click “Connect” on the card. The “SMTP Configuration” dialog opens. If your plan doesn’t include SMTP, the card shows “Upgrade to access” instead, and you need to upgrade before you can continue.
Step 4: Fill In Your Server Details
- SMTP Host — your provider’s server address (e.g. `smtp.gmail.com`, `smtp.office365.com`)
- Port — `587` for TLS (the default and the usual choice) or `465` for SSL
- Username — usually your full email address
- Password — your SMTP password or app password
- Encryption — pick TLS for port 587, SSL for port 465
- From address — the address emails will come from (e.g. `[email protected]`)
- From name — the name your customers see as the sender (e.g. `Your Business`)
Step 5: Save
Click “Save & Connect”. A “SMTP connected successfully” message appears and the card flips to “Details”.
Step 6: Send a Test Email
This step matters. Saving does not check whether your credentials actually work, so open the card’s “Details” page and click “Send Test Email”. Timetics AI sends a plain test message to your own account address with the subject “SMTP Test Email from Timetics”.
- If it arrives, you’re done.
- If it fails, the error message from your mail server shows on screen. Most of the time it’s a wrong password, a port that doesn’t match the encryption, or a provider that needs an app password.
Step 7: Disconnect (Optional)
On the Details page, click “Disconnect” to stop using your server. It removes immediately, with no confirmation prompt, and emails go back to sending through the Timetics AI mail server.
Key Functionality
Once connected, these emails go out through your server with your From name and address:
- Booking confirmations to your customer
- New booking notifications to you
- Cancellation emails, to both sides
- Reschedule requests and confirmations
- Event reminders
- Payment received and payment reminder emails
- Workflow automation emails
These always come from Timetics AI, no matter what you configure:
- Password reset emails
- Email address verification
- Team member invitations
That split is deliberate. Account and access emails need to work even if your mail server is down or misconfigured.
What You See on the Details Page
The Details page (Integrations → SMTP Email → Details) shows Status, Host, Port, Username, Encryption and From address. Your username appears partly hidden (`****************com`) and your password is never shown, on purpose. Anything you did not set reads “Not set”.
Prerequisites
- A plan that includes SMTP Email
- Permission to manage workspace integrations (owner, or a role with integration access)
- An SMTP server, along with its host, port, username and password
– A From address on a domain you control
**Notes**
Only one SMTP configuration is active per workspace. If several people in the same workspace connect their own, only one is used for sending, so agree on a single shared setup.
Encryption follows the port. Port 587 uses TLS, port 465 uses SSL. If a test email fails right after you change encryption, check that the port matches what your provider expects.
Gmail and Google Workspace need an app password, not your account password, and 2-step verification has to be on before you can create one. Microsoft 365 accounts often need SMTP AUTH enabled on the mailbox first.
Set your From address on a domain where you can edit DNS, then add SPF and DKIM records for whatever provider you’re sending through. Without them, mail from your own server is more likely to be flagged than mail from Timetics AI, which defeats the point.
**A note on password storage:** your SMTP password is currently stored unencrypted in the Timetics AI database. The connect dialog says so as well. Use a dedicated app password or a sending-only SMTP account rather than the password to your main mailbox, and rotate it if you ever disconnect.
If your SMTP server stops working, emails do not silently disappear into a fallback: sending fails while the config stays connected. If customers report missing confirmations, run “Send Test Email” first, since it surfaces the exact error from your mail server.