GMAIL API - best way to automate emails from apps?

Hi,
I'm developing a security app that will need to transmit GPS locations from handsets, without alerting the thief that emails with locations are being sent from the handset.

To this end I need silent email generation and posting, and was thinking about the GMAIL API for this.

I guess this could be either by setting up the app to use the users google credentials or to set up the app to use generic 'application' credentials. So the email would either come from them, or from an account set up just for the application...

Does this seem like a good way to perform the above, or are there better ways?

 

Hi, it was more the fact that I need the email to be produced and sent by a background process (silently and unbeknownst to the thief). If an email client pops up at all, and the thief spys it then the game is up

 

Just a thief ! Someone who nicks your handset

 

Fantastic resource link - thanks.

Next problem would be to encrypt the password so my app doesn't become a security risk for its users. (or for me if I use an email account created just for this application)

 

I'm designing a system that secretly monitors location and use of a stolen handset, not one that protects the users data. In normal circumstances there will be no UI visible, but background processes will be running to achieve this.