diff --git a/test/miniimap.py b/test/miniimap.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a1f955
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/miniimap.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import imaplib
+import pprint
+import email.message
+import email.charset
+import time
+import sync_settings as settings
+
+
+def connect():
+    "connect to the IMAP server Inbox"
+    server = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(settings.IMAP_HOST)
+    server.login(settings.IMAP_USER, settings.IMAP_PWD)
+    server.select('Inbox')
+
+    return server
+
+def pEpMessage_to_imap(msg):
+    "convert pEpMessage to python imap formatted string"
+    new_message = email.message.Message()
+    new_message["From"] = str(msg.from_).replace("\n", " ")
+    new_message["To"] = str(msg.to[0])
+    new_message["Subject"] = msg.shortmsg
+    if msg.opt_fields:
+        for field, value in msg.opt_fields.items():
+            new_message[field] = str(value).replace("\n", " ")
+    new_message.set_payload(msg.longmsg)
+
+    new_message.set_charset(email.charset.Charset("utf-8"))
+    encoded_message = str(new_message).encode("utf-8")
+
+    return encoded_message
+
+def bytesmessage_to_string(msg):
+    "converts bytes-like message to string"
+    msg = msg.decode("UTF-8").rstrip()
+    return msg
+
+def send(inbox, msg):
+    "send msg to inbox in MIME format"
+    server = connect()
+    msg = pEpMessage_to_imap(msg)
+    print('******** sent msg *******')
+    print(msg)
+    server.append('Inbox', '', imaplib.Time2Internaldate(time.time()), msg)
+    server.close()
+
+
+def recv_all(inbox, start_time):
+    """receive a list of new MIME messages from inbox, which are newer than the
+    start_time"""
+
+    server = connect()
+    r = []
+
+    tmp, data = server.search(None, 'ALL')
+    # tmp, data = server.search(None, 'SENTSINCE {0}'.format(start_time.strftime("%d-%b-%Y %H:%M%S")))
+
+    for num in data[0].split():
+        tmp, data = server.fetch(num, '(RFC822)')
+        msg = bytesmessage_to_string(data[0][1])
+        r.append((num, msg))
+        print('******** recieved msg *******')
+        print(msg)
+
+    server.close()
+
+    return r
+
+
+def clean_inbox():
+    print('clean IMAP')
+    server = connect()
+    typ, data = server.search(None, 'ALL')
+    for num in data[0].split():
+        server.store(num, '+FLAGS', '\\Deleted')
+        server.expunge()
+
+
diff --git a/test/sync_handshake.py b/test/sync_handshake.py
index a3a993a..fc1dddb 100644
--- a/test/sync_handshake.py
+++ b/test/sync_handshake.py
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ import sys
 import re
 import pEp
 import minimail
+import miniimap
+
+import sync_settings as settings
 
 from datetime import datetime
 
@@ -72,8 +75,12 @@ def print_msg(p):
     else:
         raise TypeError("print_msg(): pathlib.Path and pEp.Message supported, but "
                 + str(type(p)) + " delivered")
+    
+    m = False
 
-    m = re.search("<keysync>(.*)</keysync>", msg.opt_fields["pEp.sync"].replace("\n", " "))
+    if msg.opt_fields.get("pEp.sync"):
+        m = re.search("<keysync>(.*)</keysync>", msg.opt_fields["pEp.sync"].replace("\n", " "))
+    
     if m:
         if etree:
             tree = objectify.fromstring(m.group(1).replace("\r", ""))
@@ -82,6 +89,7 @@ def print_msg(p):
             text = m.group(1).replace("\r", "").strip()
             while text.count("  "):
                 text = text.replace("  ", " ")
+        print('-- BEACON --')
         print(text)
 
 
@@ -95,6 +103,25 @@ def messageToSend(msg):
     msg.opt_fields = { "pEp.sync": text }
     minimail.send(inbox, msg, device_name)
 
+def messageImapToSend(msg):
+    if msg.enc_format:
+        m, keys, rating, flags = msg.decrypt(DONT_TRIGGER_SYNC)
+    else:
+        m = msg
+    text = "<!-- sending from " + device_name + " -->\n" + m.attachments[0].decode()
+    output(text)
+    msg.opt_fields = { "pEp.sync": text }
+    miniimap.send(inbox, msg)
+
+def getMessageToSend(msg):
+    if msg.enc_format:
+        m, keys, rating, flags = msg.decrypt(DONT_TRIGGER_SYNC)
+    else:
+        m = msg
+    text = "<!-- sending from " + device_name + " -->\n" + m.attachments[0].decode()
+    output(text)
+    msg.opt_fields = { "pEp.sync": text }
+    return msg
 
 class UserInterface(pEp.UserInterface):
     def notifyHandshake(self, me, partner, signal):
@@ -125,7 +152,7 @@ def shutdown_sync():
     pEp.shutdown_sync()
 
 
-def run(name, color=None):
+def run(name, color=None, imap=False):
     global device_name
     device_name = name
 
@@ -133,9 +160,16 @@ def run(name, color=None):
         global output
         output = lambda x: print(colored(x, color))
 
-    me = pEp.Identity("alice@peptest.ch", name + " of Alice Neuman", name)
-    pEp.myself(me)
-    pEp.messageToSend = messageToSend
+    if imap:
+        me = pEp.Identity(settings.IMAP_EMAIL, name + " of " + settings.IMAP_USER, name)
+        pEp.myself(me)
+        pEp.messageToSend = messageImapToSend
+    else:
+        me = pEp.Identity("alice@peptest.ch", name + " of Alice Neuman", name)
+        pEp.myself(me)
+        pEp.messageToSend = messageToSend
+    
+
 
     if multithreaded:
         from threading import Thread
@@ -153,7 +187,10 @@ def run(name, color=None):
 
     try:
         while not the_end:
-            l = minimail.recv_all(inbox, name)
+            if imap:
+                l = miniimap.recv_all(inbox, 'start_time')
+            else:
+                l = minimail.recv_all(inbox, name)
             for n, m in l:
                 msg = pEp.Message(m)
                 output("*** Reading")
diff --git a/test/sync_test.py b/test/sync_test.py
index 1849305..d41bd27 100644
--- a/test/sync_test.py
+++ b/test/sync_test.py
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ import sys
 import shutil
 import pathlib
 
+import miniimap
 
-def test_for(path, color=None, end_on=None, mt=False):
+def test_for(path, color=None, end_on=None, mt=False, imap=False):
     cwd = os.getcwd();
     os.chdir(path)
     os.environ["HOME"] = os.getcwd()
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ def test_for(path, color=None, end_on=None, mt=False):
         sync_handshake.end_on = end_on
     sync_handshake.multithreaded = mt
 
-    sync_handshake.run(path, color)
+    sync_handshake.run(path, color, imap)
 
     os.chdir(cwd)
 
@@ -96,6 +97,9 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     optParser.add_option("-j", "--multi-threaded", action="store_true",
             dest="multithreaded",
             help="use multithreaded instead of single threaded implementation")
+    optParser.add_option("-i", "--imap", action="store_true",
+            dest="imap",
+            help="use imap instead of minimail")
     options, args = optParser.parse_args()
 
     if options.cleanall:
@@ -106,6 +110,10 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
         rmrf("Phone")
         rmrf("Laptop")
         rmrf("Pad")
+        try:
+            miniimap.clean_inbox()
+        except:
+            pass
 
         if options.cleanall:
             rmrf("Backup")
@@ -160,12 +168,12 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
                 except TypeError:
                     end_on = (end_on,)
             Phone = Process(target=test_for, args=("Phone", "red", end_on,
-                options.multithreaded))
+                options.multithreaded, options.imap))
             Laptop = Process(target=test_for, args=("Laptop", "green", end_on,
-                options.multithreaded))
+                options.multithreaded, options.imap))
             if options.third:
                 Pad = Process(target=test_for, args=("Pad", "cyan", end_on,
-                    options.multithreaded))
+                    options.multithreaded, options.imap))
 
             Phone.start()
             Laptop.start()