Google Adds Push Gmail for iPhone and iPod Touch Via Google Sync [Archive]

MacRumors

Sep 22, 2009, 12:54 PM

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/22/google-adds-push-gmail-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch-via-google-sync/)

Google today announced (http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/push-gmail-for-iphone-and-windows.html) that it has expanded its Google Sync (http://www.google.com/mobile/products/sync.html) service to include push e-mail for the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as Windows Mobile devices. Google Sync, launched earlier this year (http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2009/02/09/google-sync-beta-now-available-for-iphone/), also provides synchronization of contacts and calendar entries.When we launched Google Sync for Contacts and Google Calendar earlier this year, an over-the-air, always-on connection to sync mail was noticeably absent. We heard your requests loud and clear, and starting today you can use Google Sync to get your Gmail messages pushed directly to your iPhone, iPod Touch, or Windows Mobile device.

You can set up push Gmail by itself or choose to sync your Contacts and/or Calendar as well. If you're using an iPhone, make sure you're running iPhone OS version 3.0 or above (on your device, click Settings > General > About and scroll down until you see Version). If your software is out of date, follow Apple's upgrade instructions. Then, visit m.google.com/sync from your computer for set up instructions. If you're already using Google Sync, you can just enable push mail.Google notes that messages should be pushed to users mobile devices within seconds of receipt, although it also informs users that they may experience a slight decrease in battery life for their devices with push e-mail via Google Sync activated.

Article Link: Google Adds Push Gmail for iPhone and iPod Touch Via Google Sync (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/22/google-adds-push-gmail-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch-via-google-sync/)

Luke1robb

Sep 22, 2009, 12:55 PM

Can you have 2 exchange accounts on an iPhone? I realize it tells you that you can't, but I was wondering if there's a work around.

Anyone have any help for me?

mechie8682

Sep 22, 2009, 01:01 PM

Need to test it asap. Thanks for letting us know!
No more reliance on 3rd party apps for push gmail. Sweet.

str1f3

Sep 22, 2009, 01:02 PM

Can you have 2 exchange accounts on an iPhone? I realize it tells you that you can't, but I was wondering if there's a work around.

Anyone have any help for me?

No workaround unless you forward the Exchange mail to a non-Exchange account. iPhone only allows one Exchange account. You can always use a service like Gpush or Mail Notifier (coming soon) for push notifications of Mail.

This is a big deal. It virtually kills the core idea of MobileMe at its price point although MobileMe still has advantages of Find My iPhone, bookmark sync OTA, iDisk, website hosting, etc.

MBHockey

Sep 22, 2009, 01:03 PM

Yes!! FINALLY!!!!
:D

Le Big Mac

Sep 22, 2009, 01:06 PM

j_maddison

Sep 22, 2009, 01:06 PM

Could this mean that Apple will either reduce the cost of mobile me, or be pushed (excuse the pun) into making the service a free service??

Competition is always good :)

snowpuff

Sep 22, 2009, 01:08 PM

just enabled gmail push (calendar and contacts were already google sync enabled) and while my contacts and calendar still sync quickly gmail push has been painfully slow to acknowledge a new email (in my case greater than 6 minutes (timed) have elapsed so far from a test i did.

this could just be isolated and overload from everyone trying this out at once but wanted to report my findings

Edit: about 20 seconds after i typed it the test message came through! so... push works, just might be slow for a while as everyone sets it up for the first time

Barbs

Sep 22, 2009, 01:08 PM

is this something you need to download onto your computer in order for it to work? Or is it a setting withing gmail?

natebookpro

Sep 22, 2009, 01:09 PM

What type of push is this in comparison to mobileme and yahoo? Better? Worse?

LoganT

Sep 22, 2009, 01:10 PM

neiltc13

Sep 22, 2009, 01:10 PM

Another nail in MobileMe's coffin.

iOrlando

Sep 22, 2009, 01:11 PM

and battery drain will be...?

audioteknika

Sep 22, 2009, 01:12 PM

no. freaking. way.

b1wils1

Sep 22, 2009, 01:13 PM

And there was much rejoicing:)

ryant601

Sep 22, 2009, 01:14 PM

works for me as well, 20-30 second delay, and as others said, it's probably an overload delay. this is quite a week! gmail push, mms on friday!

PoitNarf

Sep 22, 2009, 01:16 PM

Can you have 2 exchange accounts on an iPhone? I realize it tells you that you can't, but I was wondering if there's a work around.

Anyone have any help for me?

This is a limitation of the Exchange protocol itself I believe. I have never seen any Exchange client software that can support more than 1 Exchange account at once.

yg17

Sep 22, 2009, 01:16 PM

And this comes less than a week after I renew my MobileMe subscription :(

ElegantSlim

Sep 22, 2009, 01:18 PM

I updated to the Push gmail and it has tested great. however my inbox are only synced for the past 4 days (saturday) and my sent messages not at all. Seems strange cuz i thought it'd go back either not at all or to the beginning of time. any ideas how i can get this to sync my previous messages all the way back?

jlmitnick

Sep 22, 2009, 01:19 PM

and battery drain will be...?
I thought that push was actually no battery drain, or at least a lot less than the periodic fetching that was previously necessary when using gmail on the iPhone.

shelt

Sep 22, 2009, 01:21 PM

macintel4me

Sep 22, 2009, 01:22 PM

I'm all for push sync, but I have found that simply configuring gmail in imap leads to notifications that are faster than online--that is, my iPhone pings for new mail before it shows up in my browser window that I have open right next to my iphone. Am I getting something I shouldn't?

Yes, same here. imap has been doing great and works on iPhone OS 2.x. I have Google calendar and contacts synced to Apple's iCal and Address book. And it's been as good as Google Sync for over a year as far as I can tell.

mudads

Sep 22, 2009, 01:24 PM

It is working great for me. I'm getting my mail within seconds of it hitting my inbox.

But I have a question. How would push decrease battery life? I understand using some of the battery to make the phone vibrate, but all in all wouldn't this use less battery life than polling every 15 or 30 minutes?

coolfactor

Sep 22, 2009, 01:27 PM

I'm all for push sync, but I have found that simply configuring gmail in imap leads to notifications that are faster than online--that is, my iPhone pings for new mail before it shows up in my browser window that I have open right next to my iphone. Am I getting something I shouldn't?

I have a dozen gmail-hosted email accounts (various domains) and have them all set up with imap on my computer and iPhone. Push is definitely a few seconds faster (which I notice with my MobileMe account), but not enough to really make a difference in my world.

Using a MS Exchange setup for my gmail just seems wrong and confusing. Won't. Do. It. :-)

WannaGoMac

Sep 22, 2009, 01:29 PM

If you already have exchange account you can't use Google Sync since the stupid iphone doesn't support multiple MS Exchange accounts!!!!!!

haddman

Sep 22, 2009, 01:29 PM

Uabcar

Sep 22, 2009, 01:33 PM

beaner454

Sep 22, 2009, 01:34 PM

I don't know if it's working quite right for me, because mobileme is definitely a lot faster! I sent an email to gmail a minute ago or so and got nothing for 3 or 4 minutes. However, when I sent a message using mobileme it showed up just a second or so later.

The other problem that I'm having is that when I mark a message as read on the iPhone it's not taking hold on mail.app on OS X, but if I read something on mail.app it does show up correctly on the iPhone. Weird, weird, weird.

interconnect

Sep 22, 2009, 01:36 PM

Uabcar

Sep 22, 2009, 01:36 PM

I have a dozen gmail-hosted email accounts (various domains) and have them all set up with imap on my computer and iPhone. Push is definitely a few seconds faster (which I notice with my MobileMe account), but not enough to really make a difference in my world.

Using a MS Exchange setup for my gmail just seems wrong and confusing. Won't. Do. It. :-)

I find it ironic that Google is using the Exchange setup to enable push notification for gmail, and Microsoft's own Hotmail does not yet offer something similar.

unr1

Sep 22, 2009, 01:37 PM

completely useless at the moment
slow and laggy

ChrisBrightwell

Sep 22, 2009, 01:37 PM

This is a limitation of the Exchange protocol itself I believe. I have never seen any Exchange client software that can support more than 1 Exchange account at once.

The Pre allows multiple Exchange accounts.

unr1

Sep 22, 2009, 01:38 PM

Is there a way to have it generate a pop-up (sms like) alert with the basic information like GPush does?

I get the 'new mail' tone within a few seconds of sending a test but no pop-up- which I really like.

Maybe I'm missing something (more than likely I am).
gpush does that

if you jailbreak, you can install "status notifier" to do that also.

JeffTL

Sep 22, 2009, 01:39 PM

Interesting to see how this works out. I am currently paying $9 a month for a GoDaddy hosted Exchange account to get the same functionality with less disk space. Even Google Apps Premier works out to only $4.16 a month for a 25-gig box and a nicer Web interface than OWA. The biggest concern is that Google's servers will get hammered when everyone turns this on.

BklynKid

Sep 22, 2009, 01:39 PM

Too bad the iPhone only supports one Exchange account at a time. My slot is already used up by my work account.

This seems like a stupid limitation. I get why it's there for Calendars and Contacts (only one instance of each can exist at a time) but Mail already supports multiple accounts so why not allow it for that?

Seems silly...

operator207

Sep 22, 2009, 01:39 PM

If you already have exchange account you can't use Google Sync since the stupid iphone doesn't support multiple MS Exchange accounts!!!!!!

Its not the iPhone, its Exchange. You cannot check 2 exchange accounts on one device concurrently. PC or otherwise. Well you can, but even MS has to "hack" it into Outlook: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291626

Don't blame the iPhone. Place the blame where it is due. MS.

simplementor

Sep 22, 2009, 01:40 PM

I've been testing the GMail push on my iPod for the last hour, and results have varied. I'm on a WiFi/Broadband connection. Initially, the push was quick, and I noticed the new message alert on my home screen within seconds. Then I tried with my iPod "turned off" to see if I would get an audio alert in my headphones. I never got an alert. After turning the iPod on I still did not get a new message alert after 10 minutes. I launched the Mail app, and it sat spinning for several minutes before retrieving my message. I'm continuing to test, but for now it seems to be a bit buggy.

ChrisBrightwell

Sep 22, 2009, 01:40 PM

I have a dozen gmail-hosted email accounts (various domains) and have them all set up with imap on my computer and iPhone. Push is definitely a few seconds faster (which I notice with my MobileMe account), but not enough to really make a difference in my world.

Disable the "IDLE" command (in your Mail preferences) and you'll see that Gmail gets much slower. IDLE is one way of implementing "push" email, but it's not useful on mobile platforms (due to battery drain). Push email (via Exchage or something similar) is an extension of the IMAP command set.

Using a MS Exchange setup for my gmail just seems wrong and confusing. Won't. Do. It. :-)

MobileMe uses MS Exchange technology to do its magic.

Uabcar

Sep 22, 2009, 01:42 PM

gpush does that

if you jailbreak, you can install "status notifier" to do that also.

I've got GPush- and really like it- for this reason in particular. Guess there is no reason to stop using it.

alphaod

Sep 22, 2009, 01:43 PM

I thought that push was actually no battery drain, or at least a lot less than the periodic fetching that was previously necessary when using gmail on the iPhone.

Push is always connected data, so it uses a lot more power than fetch which only connects periodically.

ChrisBrightwell

Sep 22, 2009, 01:43 PM

Its not the iPhone, its Exchange. You cannot check 2 exchange accounts on one device concurrently. PC or otherwise. Well you can, but even MS has to "hack" it into Outlook: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291626

This only describes that Outlook can handle a single Exchange account at a time. Nothing here precludes a system that is running multiple instances of Outlook or some other Exchange client.

I'm pretty sure the Pre allows multiple Exchange connections, for example.

Don't blame the iPhone. Place the blame where it is due. MS.

:rolleyes:

jfreak623

Sep 22, 2009, 01:44 PM

hhaeschen

Sep 22, 2009, 01:45 PM

BeyondtheTech

Sep 22, 2009, 01:45 PM

Considering my MobileMe hasn't been "pushing" my new mail in the last day or two, I may consider dropping MM for the new Gmail.

Uabcar

Sep 22, 2009, 01:46 PM

im following the directions on googles site to set this up but i get all the way through and it says "Exchange account verification failed". Im not sure what im doing wrong. Ive double checked to make sure im doing what it says...can anyone help?

you're good. once you get that 'error', you get a screen that lets you add the google exchange server (m.google.com). I got tripped up on this myself.

tnisatard

Sep 22, 2009, 01:50 PM

oooh finally!

jfreak623

Sep 22, 2009, 01:52 PM

you're good. once you get that 'error', you get a screen that lets you add the google exchange server (m.google.com). I got tripped up on this myself.

im getting this message after i enter m.google.com and click next...at the top it will say verification failed.. :confused:

cRuNcHiE

Sep 22, 2009, 01:54 PM

Didnt seem to be working for me at first but i guess its just very busy?

I think what i did was right? i just went into the google sync account settings i have for the Calendar and Contacts and i just turned mail to ON?

If i try and send it took a while to do anything but if i log into GMAIL i can see the sent message, then a few minutes after, the mails started coming via push

eastercat

Sep 22, 2009, 01:55 PM

And this comes less than a week after I renew my MobileMe subscription :(
Maybe if you're lucky, someone will steal your phone. Then you can use the "find my iPhone" feature. :)

push decrease battery life? I understand using some of the battery to make the phone vibrate, but all in all wouldn't this use less battery life than polling every 15 or 30 minutes?
Unless no one e-mails you, the e-mail will be pushed on a much more frequent basis than when you fetch every 15 minutes. Hence, more power is used. I'm sure if you google the inner workings of push, it'll be explained with better clarity and accuracy.

timotheezz

Sep 22, 2009, 01:57 PM

I know that you can view your contacts by "All Contacts" or "All on My iPhone" or the Exchange contacts (from google obviously).

But when I go to All Contacts, I have multiple entries! How do I fix this problem?

daneoni

Sep 22, 2009, 01:57 PM

No reason for mobile me now surely. Glad i didn't give in to the temptation to subscribe

I'll do without find my iphone

kernkraft

Sep 22, 2009, 01:58 PM

First came fart generators. Then came sexy teens. This week brought the first full adult iPhone app.

Meanwhile, Google Voice has been rejected (it is now being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission). But wait! When Google can produce something that involves some pushing, the App Store is open.

I hope that those, fearing for the 'Apple user experience' will enjoy the farting and the porn. Hopefully, the rest of us will see the Google Voice app soon.

wolfpackfan

Sep 22, 2009, 01:58 PM

im following the directions on googles site to set this up but i get all the way through and it says "Exchange account verification failed". Im not sure what im doing wrong. Ive double checked to make sure im doing what it says...can anyone help?

Same thing happening to me. And I've previously used the Calendar and Contacts sync fine.

eh270

Sep 22, 2009, 02:00 PM

Seems to work, but.. man, is it ever slow!

I doubt we'll see MobileMe go free or even become less expensive, there are still a number of features you can't get with Google's tools, including the suite of lost iPhone features, iDisk, and all the tie-ins to the iLife suite. I agree it will lose traction with the tech-saavy, but your average person walking into the Apple store to buy an iPhone or Mac will probably still see it as a great value, given how seamlessly Apple integrates MM.

eh270

Sep 22, 2009, 02:02 PM

Wow, this is so slow it's actually worse than my fetch schedule. I'm reverting back to IMAP until they get this mess sorted out.

TonyHoyle

Sep 22, 2009, 02:05 PM

Doesn't work for me.. the folders appear OK but there's no mail in them.

Slow as heck too. I haven't run it long enough to see what the battery drain is like, but it has to keep the radio active (so the exchange server can send it push data it needs an IP which means it must be logged in). Not sure I need instant email *that* much that I'm willing to sacrifice the more of the already terrible battery life.

shk718

Sep 22, 2009, 02:05 PM

my calendar and email seem to be pushing fine - but my contacts don't seem to come up - any ideas?

tomtek

Sep 22, 2009, 02:05 PM

Its not the iPhone, its Exchange. You cannot check 2 exchange accounts on one device concurrently. PC or otherwise. Well you can, but even MS has to "hack" it into Outlook: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291626

Don't blame the iPhone. Place the blame where it is due. MS.

Its not MS or the server its the mail clients be it iPhone, Outlook or Windows mobile Outlook that don't support it. The server wouldn't know if the client is syncing to multiple accounts. It would be a single connection to each even though exchange server supports multiple anyway.

Mac Mail client for Snow Leopard supports multiple activesync(exchange) accounts. I currently have 3 exchange activesync accounts setup on my macbook pro. Works like a champ and I love it. One account is set to iCal only the other 2 do Contacts/Mail/Calendar/Todo

Basically a dream come true.

I wish all mail clients supported multiple activesync accounts. I think that other clients will move to that soon.

Tom

diesel

Sep 22, 2009, 02:06 PM

the push is ridiculously slow with emails showing up in my personal gmail account several minutes after being sent from my work account. the pull actually gets emails faster.

with that said, i've turned off push gmail because as others have said, it seems to be constantly polling for emails and will certainly affect battery life. The question i have is after turning off my gmail google sync email account, it disappeared from my list of email accounts and i'm wondering if it cleared out the data from the iphone's memory for the emails that were downloaded or are they still there taking up memory even if you can't see the account on the screen?

rssfed23

Sep 22, 2009, 02:06 PM

I get the same error as those above, and when I go into mail it says "The connection to the server failed"

Do I recall reading somewhere about another issue with exchange sync and 3.1 or is it just my imagination?

Uabcar

Sep 22, 2009, 02:06 PM

Wow, this is so slow it's actually worse than my fetch schedule. I'm reverting back to IMAP until they get this mess sorted out.

I just did the same thing. Reading and deleting mail via the exchange setup was screwing up my gpush badges as well so I just deleted the profile. May try again later.

BeyondtheTech

Sep 22, 2009, 02:08 PM

So, who spent money for GPush or other similar apps? This kinda kills the need for that product, no?

shk718

Sep 22, 2009, 02:09 PM

my calendar and email seem to be pushing fine - but my contacts don't seem to come up - any ideas?

finally they showed up - it took about 20 mins - i guess att and or google must be getting bombarded with updates and things must be going slowly.

ITGuy

Sep 22, 2009, 02:11 PM

Google's forthcoming web based Google Voice application's dialer and SMS client will be all the better now that we've synced our Contacts with Google's servers. Hopefully it will be coming soon.

Too bad I recently renewed my MobileMe subscription to get push email. Not gonna happen next year. Thankfully I never gave anyone my MobileMe email address and only used it as a conduit to push auto-forwarded Gmail messages to my iPhone.

ITG

Zimpaz

Sep 22, 2009, 02:11 PM

im getting this message after i enter m.google.com and click next...at the top it will say verification failed.. :confused:

Exactly the same issue here...

Im in the UK and using an @gmail.com address.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Uabcar

Sep 22, 2009, 02:12 PM

So, who spent money for GPush or other similar apps? This kinda kills the need for that product, no?
I don't think so- at least not the way it is now. There is no sms style alert functionality (see my earlier posts). I actually just deleted the profile and set things back to manual fetch.

I can wait the 5 seconds for the email to load after being prompted that I have a new email (via a pop-up with sender and subject info). No need to waste more battery power.

interconnect

Sep 22, 2009, 02:13 PM

yeah this is really slow; gpush alerts come through in seconds. and i don't like the fact i don't get a popup like i do with gpush. not what i expected at all, or am i missing something?

jdechko

Sep 22, 2009, 02:13 PM

Another nail in MobileMe's coffin.

Exactly what Paul Thurott said. However, I disagree for a few reasons.

1) The other iPhone "exchange" features: Remote Wipe, locate and lock. I doubt this could ever be duplicated by Google for the iPhone. Android, sure, why not, but not the iPhone.

2) One of MobileMe's strengths is that everything is under one roof. I understand that Google has Gmail, Cal, and Picasa, which all mirror Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Photos. IDisk is pretty poor, so I'm going to cede half a point, to Dropbox and not Google, although the sheer amount of storage is better than anything free can offer (20GB) so Apple keeps 1/2 of a point.

3) This one's purely personal, but I've given my mac.com email address out for 2 years now. I'm not about to give it up. I'll admit it, I'm locked in buying Mobile Me for the foreseeable future, but given 1 & 2, and the fact that it can be had for cheaper, I'm willing to pay for it.

slicecom

Sep 22, 2009, 02:13 PM

Wow its slower than my fetch imap gmail account... :(

Angelo921

Sep 22, 2009, 02:13 PM

so if i already have exchange setup for my google calendar all I need to do is go into the settings and enable it for mail too?

Lancetx

Sep 22, 2009, 02:16 PM

completely useless at the moment
slow and laggy

Agreed. The "push e-mail" is taking 3-5 minutes to show up on my iPhone. It's still listed as "beta" on Google's website anyway, so it's not quite ready for primetime obviously. Definitely not anywhere near being a MobileMe killer yet.

DipDog3

Sep 22, 2009, 02:19 PM

One account at a time folks...!

How worthless is this?

Diode

Sep 22, 2009, 02:22 PM

With snow leopards integration of exchange, I think I'll be getting rid of mobileme.

badlydrawnboy

Sep 22, 2009, 02:23 PM

Another nail in MobileMe's coffin.

Yep. This is my last year of MobileMe I think.

Diode

Sep 22, 2009, 02:24 PM

Exactly what Paul Thurott said. However, I disagree for a few reasons.

1) The other iPhone "exchange" features: Remote Wipe, locate and lock. I doubt this could ever be duplicated by Google for the iPhone. Android, sure, why not, but not the iPhone.

2) One of MobileMe's strengths is that everything is under one roof. I understand that Google has Gmail, Cal, and Picasa, which all mirror Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Photos. IDisk is pretty poor, so I'm going to cede half a point, to Dropbox and not Google, although the sheer amount of storage is better than anything free can offer (20GB) so Apple keeps 1/2 of a point.

3) This one's purely personal, but I've given my mac.com email address out for 2 years now. I'm not about to give it up. I'll admit it, I'm locked in buying Mobile Me for the foreseeable future, but given 1 & 2, and the fact that it can be had for cheaper, I'm willing to pay for it.

True, but there are many of us who are locked into gmail just the same. I only used Mobileme for calander and contact syncing. With Snow Leopard and exchange integration I think I'll have to give google more of a try.

techiegirl

Sep 22, 2009, 02:25 PM

Have you tested this (gmail w/ exchange) on Snow Leopard?

With snow leopards integration of exchange, I think I'll be getting rid of mobileme.

Diode

Sep 22, 2009, 02:27 PM

Have you tested this (gmail w/ exchange) on Snow Leopard?

Not yet, but I it technically should work. I didn't bring my laptop with me today so I can't try it out until I get home.

flipm725

Sep 22, 2009, 02:28 PM

do you have to have an exhange account to use push gmail? I just have a regular gmail account.

picollus

Sep 22, 2009, 02:29 PM

You can configure the sync period (up to 1 month) under the acct settings

Better : There is a NOLIMIT option at the top !

Picollus !

snowpuff

Sep 22, 2009, 02:32 PM

Has anyone tried deleting (or archiving) or moving a message into another folder? I am getting error messages stating that these actions cannot be done.

ITGuy

Sep 22, 2009, 02:32 PM

[QUOTE=jdechko;8526416]Exactly what Paul Thurott said. However, I disagree for a few reasons.

1) The other iPhone "exchange" features: Remote Wipe, locate and lock. I doubt this could ever be duplicated by Google for the iPhone. Android, sure, why not, but not the iPhone.

If an Exchange Administrator can wipe an iPhone remotely, I think Google can provide users with the same functionality. Remote Wipe is a feature of Exchange ActiveSync, so hopefully that function can be also implemented by Google to allow us to nuke the data on our lost iPhones.

Just think if one day the ActiveSync specifications were enhanced to command the phone to provide its GPS coordinates, and to also lock itself. Apple would probably have to support it on the iPhone for corporations with tight ActiveSync policies requiring those hypothetical new policies.

ITG

NewGenAdam

Sep 22, 2009, 02:33 PM

omg.

at. last.

Now let's hope it actually works!

Shagrat

Sep 22, 2009, 02:36 PM

Set this up, and sent some tests from my Yahoo email account (about all I use it for these days as it is merely a repository for spam!), and, unlike some of you, they are turning up on my iPhone (3GS, 3.1) on average 10 -15 seconds later.

I can live with that!:)

cnorth3

Sep 22, 2009, 02:38 PM

Could this mean that Apple will either reduce the cost of mobile me, or be pushed (excuse the pun) into making the service a free service??

Competition is always good :)

Gmail is "free" only in the sense that it's paid for by advertising (like everything else served up by Google). As part of the "services", Gmail reads the content of your emails to target the ads it serves. I guess that's okay with a lot of people, but I'd personally rather pay a few bucks to Apple for MobileMe and retain at least a semblance of privacy.

Le Big Mac

Sep 22, 2009, 02:39 PM

I have a dozen gmail-hosted email accounts (various domains) and have them all set up with imap on my computer and iPhone. Push is definitely a few seconds faster (which I notice with my MobileMe account), but not enough to really make a difference in my world.

I have to say only a few seconds isn't worth it to me to reconfigure everything . . . especially on roll-out day.

And I really would miss access to draft emails, since I often start them on a computer but then send from the iphone when I'm ready.

punitnaker

Sep 22, 2009, 02:41 PM

omg.

at. last.

Now let's hope it actually works!

I don't actually think it does.

I noticed push working earlier today before the news was announced. I use Google Sync for my shared calendar with my wife and for whatever reason, I had switched on Mail at the time to see if it would work. I hadn't turned it off but I noticed the messages coming through.

I then later tried to access the as my imap Gmail account showed new messages and the Exchange version did not.

I tried deleting the account and adding it again and now it says server verification failed.

I was verified once but while the folders synced, emails did not. This is very strange.

Google please sort this out as I still have access to my Gmail but not my Calendars. :(

Le Big Mac

Sep 22, 2009, 02:42 PM

Gmail is "free" only in the sense that it's paid for by advertising (like everything else served up by Google). As part of the "services", Gmail reads the content of your emails to target the ads it serves. I guess that's okay with a lot of people, but I'd personally rather pay a few bucks to Apple for MobileMe and retain at least a semblance of privacy.

Does it read and archive, or just "read" for purposes of displaying it within the online gmail interface?

Heijtink

Sep 22, 2009, 02:44 PM

I'll drop MM in no time. I defenely think that MM is 1 od the worst products Apple ever released. I pay a fortune for something that should be free, atleast for iPhone owners. When I come home I'll give it a try all delays are forgiven since it is free. Shame on you Apple!

philgilder

Sep 22, 2009, 02:46 PM

for some reason I'm getting the error exchange account verification failed. it worked before push gmail was announced, but I then deleted the account as mail seemed to not work and now it is not working

markm49uk

Sep 22, 2009, 02:49 PM

drew0020

Sep 22, 2009, 02:51 PM

mine is saying connection to the server failed. Any ideas?

mdwsta4

Sep 22, 2009, 02:51 PM

set it up, was verified, but when i try to access the account on my iphone i get a 'cannot get mail. the connection to the server failed' error. what gives?

ipoddin

Sep 22, 2009, 02:53 PM

seems like it keeps an active connection whenever you are in mail app. I get the little data transmission "circle" next to the 3G icon the whole time mail app is open. I hope that it is not running when mail app is closed, that will definitley suck some battery life. This is happening with both Push turned on and turned off. Anyone else noticing this??

I've noticed this too. I wonder after closing Mail is it constantly maintaining a connection? It's odd because before push gmail, my yahoo email which is setup for push never did this. The circle would spin for a little bit when open but would then stop.

Also, very slow for me too. Takes about 4 minutes to receive email.

And like someone else said, when I try deleting a message it says the action cannot be done.

Darkroom

Sep 22, 2009, 02:54 PM

this is all i get... :(

gr8phan

Sep 22, 2009, 02:59 PM

I'm fine with IMAP for gmail, but it would be nice to sync contacts to gmail without having to use ActiveSync.

vincenz

Sep 22, 2009, 03:02 PM

Setup seemed to work-- everything verified correctly. But when I go to the Mail app to check the inbox, I also get "Cannot Get Mail. The connection to the server failed."

Maybe it's overloaded?

EDIT: Nevermind, it definitely was overloaded before. It's working now.

larrylaffer

Sep 22, 2009, 03:04 PM

This is useless for those of us that are already syncing an Exchange account.

Swifty01

Sep 22, 2009, 03:05 PM

set it up, was verified, but when i try to access the account on my iphone i get a 'cannot get mail. the connection to the server failed' error. what gives?

I'm having the same problem. :(

gretafour

Sep 22, 2009, 03:06 PM

set it up, was verified, but when i try to access the account on my iphone i get a 'cannot get mail. the connection to the server failed' error. what gives?

Ditto.

slffl

Sep 22, 2009, 03:07 PM

Too bad I already have an Exchange work email as well as two Gmail accounts.

Manie Frizzle

Sep 22, 2009, 03:12 PM

this is all i get... :(

you tried hitting that "next" button?

Chimpy

Sep 22, 2009, 03:14 PM

I love you Google, my benevolent overlord.

NokX

Sep 22, 2009, 03:14 PM

it didn't work for me at first, then it did, and now it doesn't. ha. appears google is working on some things.

also, my list of contacts synced to my phone went from 400+ to 100 exactly. it's like it's not syncing anymore than 100 right now. luckily Gmail still has all of my contacts.

hopefully they sort this out soon.

LSS

Sep 22, 2009, 03:19 PM

wolfshades

Sep 22, 2009, 03:25 PM

If you get the "account verification failed" message and are using @gmail.com address, try @googlemail.com instead. That worked for me.

The sync isn't working, though. The sliders in the settings for sync keep going back to "off". :confused:

I tried that; didn't work. However, I noticed that I was logged into gmail on the iMac while setting it up on the iPhone. So - I logged out and tried setting it up again (using gmail, not googlemail) and it verified just fine.

I doubt the mail address or being logged in was the problem though. It was likely (what must be) the incredible load google's mail servers are probably having to deal with right now.

pacmantech

Sep 22, 2009, 03:32 PM

Works for me but is very slow right now, taking about 45-60 seconds for me when receiving new email or seeing archived mail disappear from my inbox.

I think the behavior of the mail app on the iPhone is odd with this, but it's my first Exchange email account on the iPhone, so it may be normal. I'd like more details about what it's doing rather than just seeing the word "Connecting" alongside the thinking wheel.

Angelo921

Sep 22, 2009, 03:39 PM

Did you turn off the other Gmail after enabling the Google Sync one?

NewGenAdam

Sep 22, 2009, 03:40 PM

lol I'm getting server errors, browsing how to set it up.

If even Google can't cope with the intense demand iPhone users put on servers, is it any surprise Apple struggle?

kakgungor

Sep 22, 2009, 03:41 PM

Not yet, but I it technically should work. I didn't bring my laptop with me today so I can't try it out until I get home.

As far as I can tell, Snow Leopard's apps (Mail, iCal, Address Book) don't play nicely with the Google programs (or Google Apps) via Exchange. I'm no techie, but my understanding is that the MS Exchange implementation on the iPhone is different than the Exchange support that was added to Snow Leopard. VERY DISSAPOINTING as it is not clearly explained and I bought Snow Leopard (albeit for the cheaper Hardware Up-To-Date price) specifically to integrate with my Google Apps accounts.

That being said, CalDav and Contact Sync work better than they did in Leopard, so it is a small improvement, but Exchange support for Google Apps would be a killer "app." My guess is that Google will find a way to make it work, but it's not an option just yet.

Kent

zenoran

Sep 22, 2009, 03:41 PM

mdwsta4

Sep 22, 2009, 03:42 PM

well my folders and whatnot show up now so that's a step in the right direction. however, when i go to inbox it connects, updates, but no messages appear. may have just taken a bit to sync up?

set it up, was verified, but when i try to access the account on my iphone i get a 'cannot get mail. the connection to the server failed' error. what gives?

techiegirl

Sep 22, 2009, 03:46 PM

I'm able to set it up.

1) You need to enable google sync (dashboard/service settings/mobile) from your google apps domain.

2) user id is your full email adress (username@mydomain.com)

Like everyone else already said, Google server is very over-loaded and email retrieval is very slow.

Does anyone know if this works with the google applications hosting your own domain? I have google hosting the email from my domain but can't seem to find the right credentials to get the exchange setup.

kakgungor

Sep 22, 2009, 03:46 PM

Does anyone know if this works with the google applications hosting your own domain? I have google hosting the email from my domain but can't seem to find the right credentials to get the exchange setup.

Yes it works with Google Apps. You have to first set up Google Sync via your domain settings and then you have to make sure you are pointing your iPhone to the right server (m.google.com). Visit www.google.com/sync on your iPhone to get the instructions and follow the steps.

Povilas

Sep 22, 2009, 03:46 PM

Doesn't work for me on iPod Touch 2G. I only get "failed to connect" message.

odedia

Sep 22, 2009, 03:47 PM

Their instructions are very confusing. Clearly it was written by developers, for developers. I accidentally erased all of my contacts and calendars. And then it didn't work also.

desmundo815

Sep 22, 2009, 03:55 PM

Maybe this is an idiotic question, but does/should Google sync work with Google Partnerpage accounts?

wolfshades

Sep 22, 2009, 03:56 PM

...it works.

I sent a test message about 30 minutes ago and I just heard the little "whoosh" sound as it finally left my mailbox. :)

mdwsta4

Sep 22, 2009, 03:59 PM

works! must have just taken a while. kind of annoying on my personal email vs work email so i guess i'll leave it off. wish i could sync my work mail but they have the passwords and whatnot on lockdown.

well my folders and whatnot show up now so that's a step in the right direction. however, when i go to inbox it connects, updates, but no messages appear. may have just taken a bit to sync up?

ApolloX

Sep 22, 2009, 03:59 PM

achambe

Sep 22, 2009, 04:01 PM

gloss

Sep 22, 2009, 04:02 PM

anyone?

Yes. I turned off my normal mail account and left only Exchange running. It's syncing as we speak. Err, type. Post? Whatever.

Push takes a while to get going (their servers are getting slammed), but it seems to work nicely once you can get connected.

achambe

Sep 22, 2009, 04:04 PM

Yes. I turned off my normal mail account and left only Exchange running. It's syncing as we speak. Err, type. Post? Whatever.

Push takes a while to get going (their servers are getting slammed), but it seems to work nicely once you can get connected.

Did you get the "Cannot Get Mail The Connection to the server failed message'? Before it started working?

techiegirl

Sep 22, 2009, 04:05 PM

If you're in your domain webmail page, it's called "manage this domain" on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Where is said "dashboard"?
Does dashboard = settings?

Xian Zhu Xuande

Sep 22, 2009, 04:06 PM

Be careful with a Google Sync of contacts. Unless they've just fixed it, there is an issue where all the high-resolution contact pictures in your address book will be replaced with low-resolution alternatives created on Google's end (which really sucks if you like full-screen photos in your iPhone) and another which resets custom ring-tones for contacts.

Hitch08

Sep 22, 2009, 04:11 PM

Its broke. I've talked to a dozen people who've tried setting this up as well as viewed a number of messages on Google's own support forum... indicating the service is currently unstable/broken with users unable to download mail, in some cases unable to even create the account without an authorization failure.

I have had a lot of issues as well. Received the account authorization failure notice several times. Once I did get it set up, I received messages that it cannot send mail or that it can't connect to the server. There are messages that I have sent that haven't disappeared from my outbox. I deleted those emails, turned off the iPhone, turned it back on and the emails were back on the outbox.... :confused:

Something's broke - either me, the service, or the iPhone. :)

vivithemage

Sep 22, 2009, 04:15 PM

I have to use pushmail for my 6 other email accounts...pointless for someone like me, or who uses more then gmail.

LaMerVipere

Sep 22, 2009, 04:15 PM

Definitely seems broken for me as well. Not receiving e-mails, deletions on the phone not syncing with the actual inbox, getting tons of server error messages.

Probably going to switch back to the old Gmail e-mail until this gets sorted.

gloss

Sep 22, 2009, 04:15 PM

Did you get the "Cannot Get Mail The Connection to the server failed message'? Before it started working?

Many times. I just left it sitting there and eventually got a connection and downloaded my mail.

gretafour

Sep 22, 2009, 04:16 PM

Yeah... I've given up & switched back to IMAP. I'll try GoogleSync again next week. :rolleyes:

zenoran

Sep 22, 2009, 04:16 PM

yup service is slammed... going to hold off on this one for a while... lol

TMar

Sep 22, 2009, 04:16 PM

I got the vitrifaction error as well, but I kept trying and it finally worked. Then I received the could not retrieve mail/ timed out error but now it's slowly getting my messages. The servers are just getting hit really hard right now. I'm sure it will work its self out and settle in a bit.

skellener

Sep 22, 2009, 04:22 PM

Is there a way to have it generate a pop-up (sms like) alert with the basic information like GPush does?

I get the 'new mail' tone within a few seconds of sending a test but no pop-up- which I really like.

Maybe I'm missing something (more than likely I am).
PushGmail (http://web.me.com/everything/PushGmail/PushGmail_FAQ.html)
http://web.me.com/everything/PushGmail/PushGmail_FAQ_files/512_flat%20copy.png
iTunes Store link (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=329711198&mt=8) $0.99

Along with IMAP, this seems to work fine. No need for Exchange anything. I get a notice on the iPhone pretty much right away a couple of seconds after I hear my Mail chime on the Mac.

Pretty amazing for a buck.

caligurl

Sep 22, 2009, 04:28 PM

ya.... it's not so great..... we'll see once the new traffic thins out...

ogdogg

Sep 22, 2009, 04:33 PM

I'm getting the "The connection to the server failed." error when I try to get my mail. It went through the verification process after about 3 tries... I guess this is why Google usually implements new features on a slow roll-out to invited members basis. I must say I expected more from Google... I guess the sheer number of iPhone users is too much for any one company to handle...

trekkie604

Sep 22, 2009, 04:35 PM

Service is slammed lol... Switched back to IMAP for now.

jmcguckin

Sep 22, 2009, 04:41 PM

rock on, I've been using Gmail since the first days of its Beta stage, so this is very welcome news (that, and the fact that I can finally configure Mail to check my Gmail account via IMAP)... now I just need an iPod touch and I should be good to go :).

CKohkah

Sep 22, 2009, 04:41 PM

I keep getting error messages when I try deleting mail from the phone. Any idea why?

digiphantom

Sep 22, 2009, 04:45 PM

techiegirl

Sep 22, 2009, 04:48 PM

You can set it to notify you on inbox only or certain one or all of your labels.

I haven't set the exchange push to my iphone yet, but can anyone tell me this:

Will I be notified if I get any e-mails that arrive to my labels? I have several filters that move new messages to different labels. Or does the push notifiy you of new messages only in the inbox?

Thanks.

ouimetnick

Sep 22, 2009, 05:08 PM

I haven't set the exchange push to my iphone yet, but can anyone tell me this:

Will I be notified if I get any e-mails that arrive to my labels? I have several filters that move new messages to different labels. Or does the push notifiy you of new messages only in the inbox?

Thanks.
Because the Gmail servers are getting slammed right now. After 3 hours of this being set up on my iPhone, I just got my mail pushed to my iPhone. But give this a few days and it will change for the better. If it a big issue go back to the imap google option.

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 05:09 PM

tgildred

Sep 22, 2009, 05:13 PM

MobileMe uses MS Exchange technology to do its magic.

No. No! That's not true! That's impossible!

ilfn143

Sep 22, 2009, 05:20 PM

I am not an expert so forgive my ignorance, but why do we have to go through MS exchange account to set up gmail push notification??? If gmail enabled push why can't we just enable the push option on the iphone preferences and voila that's it...
All this is confusing and does not make a lot of sense to me.
X

http://gizmodo.com (http://gizmodo.com/5365110/push-gmail-finally-comes-to-the-iphone-symbian-and-windows-mobile)
Apple hasn't added push for Gmail to its Mail app on the iPhone, but Google has worked around that via Google Sync. All you have to do is set it up as a Microsoft Exchange account. At last!

gr8phan

Sep 22, 2009, 05:35 PM

You can set it to notify you on inbox only or certain one or all of your labels.

How do you enable that? I don't see the option in mail or notification settings.

ilfn143

Sep 22, 2009, 05:37 PM

How do you enable that? I don't see the option in mail or notification settings.

Setting -> Mails, Contacts, Calendar -> click on your mail account (first line)

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 05:51 PM

http://gizmodo.com (http://gizmodo.com/5365110/push-gmail-finally-comes-to-the-iphone-symbian-and-windows-mobile)

OK I wil ive it a try but have some ore questions:
1- If I keep both my IMAP & MSE gmail acct...does it mean when I receive a mail i will see 2 emails receive on the mail app icon (one recived on the MSE and one on the IMAP)? If so it means i have to delete my imap acct, right?
2- As of now i have only enable the mails to be synced not the contacts and cal. I syncing my contacts from the apple contact app through itunes, my personal calendar through itunes too with the apple iCal app and i use google agenda/calendar sync on my work laptop so i have both my personal & work events on google cal that is transfered on the iCal app...
What would be the benefit for me to enable on the MSE acct the calendar and contact sync?

RADumas

Sep 22, 2009, 05:53 PM

I have had a lot of issues as well. Received the account authorization failure notice several times. Once I did get it set up, I received messages that it cannot send mail or that it can't connect to the server. There are messages that I have sent that haven't disappeared from my outbox. I deleted those emails, turned off the iPhone, turned it back on and the emails were back on the outbox.... :confused:

Something's broke - either me, the service, or the iPhone. :)

after several attempts, I have it working, sort of.

If you change your email from myname@gmail.com to myname@googlemail.com, you won't get that "authorization failure" error message. However, you won't get any mail coming through. If, however, you ignore the error message, it will work. Go figure.

How well it pushes remains to be seen.

ilfn143

Sep 22, 2009, 05:56 PM

...
What would be the benefit for me to enable on the MSE acct the calendar and contact sync?

it's a personal's choice, for me i like it because i don't have to sync it. as i make a change to my calendar on my iphone it'll show up on my google cal or the other way around :)

WickedRabbit

Sep 22, 2009, 05:58 PM

The Pre allows multiple Exchange accounts.

As does BlackBerry and I believe certain Windows Mobile devices do as well.:rolleyes:

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 06:03 PM

it's a personal's choice, for me i like it because i don't have to sync it. as i make a change to my calendar on my iphone it'll show up on my google cal or the other way around :)

So it means you have removed the calendar & contact sync option since now it will be done by itself. Correct?

ChrisBrightwell

Sep 22, 2009, 06:03 PM

As does BlackBerry and I believe certain Windows Mobile devices do as well.:rolleyes:

Duly noted. I was only sure of the Pre, so thanks.

ilfn143

Sep 22, 2009, 06:05 PM

So it means you have removed the calendar sync option since now it will be done by itself. Correct?

yep :)

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 06:10 PM

yep :)

OK that is good to know, thanks...but for me the real benefit would be to see pushed email notifed just like SMS are...Is that possible? Otherwise i do not see the real benefit at least for email as if i get a mail sent now for instance and check my iphone in 30 minutes..both the push and imap gmail account will have the mail downloaded...

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 06:25 PM

Where the hell is the Draft box on the MSE Gmail acct? I have it on my IMAP acct but not on the MSE one..

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 06:27 PM

Where the hell is the Draft box on the MSE Gmail acct? I have it on my IMAP acct but not on the MSE one..

Sorry i found it..it is on the bottom on the MSE acct whie it is in second position on the imap acct

Update:
Google Sync offers some advantages over using IMAP on your phone. Most importantly, it allows for content to be pushed to your phone within seconds after changes occur on the server. On the other hand, using Gmail Drafts from your phone is not possible via Google Sync.

This is not good news...How difficult would it be to sync draft!! Not sure why this option is not enabled...

hokiepokie07

Sep 22, 2009, 06:28 PM

angemon89

Sep 22, 2009, 06:40 PM

I am not gonna renew MobileMe. :D

Find my iPhone is the only thing I'll miss but hopefully I will never need it.

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 06:45 PM

You can configure the sync period (up to 1 month) under the acct settings

Is that the maximum we can go back in the past (1 month)...??? With the IMAP acct i can go download al my mails since day one i have used gmail...

techiegirl

Sep 22, 2009, 06:48 PM

No Limit will sync your all your emails.

Is that the maximum we can go back in the past (1 month)...??? With the IMAP acct i can go download al my mails since day one i have used gmail...

cavemonkey50

Sep 22, 2009, 06:49 PM

Is that the maximum we can go back in the past (1 month)...??? With the IMAP acct i can go download al my mails since day one i have used gmail...

The first option in the list is all-time. Just select that.

ilfn143

Sep 22, 2009, 06:49 PM

Is that the maximum we can go back in the past (1 month)...??? With the IMAP acct i can go download al my mails since day one i have used gmail...

there's a NO LIMIT option

punitnaker

Sep 22, 2009, 06:53 PM

OK so it all seems to be working now :) Pushing within seconds.

Thanks Google!

Primejimbo

Sep 22, 2009, 06:56 PM

Sorry for sounding stupid, I use the iPhone "mail" for my gmail. What app do I need to download for this?

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 06:57 PM

there's a NO LIMIT option

I saw that...the 1 day, 3 days, 1 month and ALL...I have selected ALL but it does nt syc mails oder than Aug 26th 2009...

ilfn143

Sep 22, 2009, 06:57 PM

Sorry for sounding stupid, I use the iPhone "mail" for my gmail. What app do I need to download for this?

you don't need any app, just delete that account and follow this instructions:
http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

Primejimbo

Sep 22, 2009, 07:03 PM

you don't need any app, just delete that account and follow this instructions:
http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

Now I don't use the contacts or calender, so I just click "no" for those? I have all my contacts on my Mac in the contacts and it syncs to my iPhone and I really don't want to set up another contact book.

twoodcc

Sep 22, 2009, 07:14 PM

better late than never. i'll continue to just use mobileme i think though

holden15

Sep 22, 2009, 07:15 PM

Version 2.1 of the iPhone and iPod touch app called LetMeKnow has been submitted to the App Store, it should be here within a week. It includes push mail for any email provider that supports email forwarding.

Check out LetMeKnow in the App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323812201&mt=8

anjinha

Sep 22, 2009, 07:23 PM

Too late for me. I like MobileMe too much now.

retroneo

Sep 22, 2009, 07:49 PM

How would push decrease battery life? I understand using some of the battery to make the phone vibrate, but all in all wouldn't this use less battery life than polling every 15 or 30 minutes?

Push prevents the IP tunnel (PDP Context) from being shut down to save power.

ipoddin

Sep 22, 2009, 07:49 PM

Now I don't use the contacts or calender, so I just click "no" for those? I have all my contacts on my Mac in the contacts and it syncs to my iPhone and I really don't want to set up another contact book.

Correct. Only Mail would be set to "On" Keep the other's "Off"

ipoddin

Sep 22, 2009, 07:54 PM

So pushing seems to be happening much fast now.

However there are still some known issues I don't like. For instance, deleting an email from your inbox ARCHIVES it on the web.

http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=161771

Only way to really trash something using sync is to delete it from "All Mail" view. Or move the message to "Gmail/Trash" folder. That's annoying.

Lancetx

Sep 22, 2009, 08:03 PM

However there are still some known issues I don't like. For instance, deleting an email from your inbox ARCHIVES it on the web.

Only way to really trash something using sync is to delete it from "All Mail" view. Or move the message to "Gmail/Trash" folder. That's annoying.

That's why I could never use Gmail as my primary e-mail account, it simply involves too many steps to keep things cleaned up and organized. I've never liked their "conversations" method of grouping e-mails together either.

ob81

Sep 22, 2009, 08:04 PM

I have been waiting for this day since I dropped mobile me like abad habit months ago. See ya $99 a year!!

Scrib

Sep 22, 2009, 08:07 PM

I saw that...the 1 day, 3 days, 1 month and ALL...I have selected ALL but it does nt syc mails oder than Aug 26th 2009...

Interestingly, same here...

pcmike

Sep 22, 2009, 08:23 PM

How does your post even REMOTELY apply to this thread? Rant much?! :rolleyes:

First came fart generators. Then came sexy teens. This week brought the first full adult iPhone app.

Meanwhile, Google Voice has been rejected (it is now being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission). But wait! When Google can produce something that involves some pushing, the App Store is open.

I hope that those, fearing for the 'Apple user experience' will enjoy the farting and the porn. Hopefully, the rest of us will see the Google Voice app soon.

retroneo

Sep 22, 2009, 08:27 PM

xIGmanIx

Sep 22, 2009, 08:28 PM

i would prefer true push supported nativly by the iPhone as opposed to Google finding methods to get their feature set supported.

Angelo921

Sep 22, 2009, 08:38 PM

Do you guys have Gmail set to push your Labels or just your Inbox?

kakgungor

Sep 22, 2009, 08:40 PM

Is there any way to control which labels show up on the Exchange account similar to how you can pick and choose for IMAP accounts?

Scrib

Sep 22, 2009, 08:47 PM

I saw that...the 1 day, 3 days, 1 month and ALL...I have selected ALL but it does nt syc mails oder than Aug 26th 2009...

For whatever reason, it will sync up to 1 month for me. If I make it wide open, it doesn't do anything.

:annoyed:

Matthew Yohe

Sep 22, 2009, 08:52 PM

Have you tested this (gmail w/ exchange) on Snow Leopard?

Not yet, but I it technically should work. I didn't bring my laptop with me today so I can't try it out until I get home.

Snow Leopard uses Exchange Web Services to communicate with Exchange. iPhone uses ActiveSync, which is what Google provides for iPhone Sync.

In the end, Snow Leopard will not connect to GMail via an "Exchange" account.

ipoddin

Sep 22, 2009, 09:00 PM

Have they fixed Google Sync syncing every address you've ever typed a Gmail to, not just ones you've added to your address book.

Also, does it now let you display full screen contact photos, or are they tiny on an incoming call?

Contact sync only sync those in your "My Contacts". It doesn't sync every contact you've ever emailed. Never has, at least on the iphone.

Cerebrus' Maw

Sep 22, 2009, 09:26 PM

That's why I could never use Gmail as my primary e-mail account, it simply involves too many steps to keep things cleaned up and organized. I've never liked their "conversations" method of grouping e-mails together either.

It's funny, I love the conversations on Gmail, expecially, when you have a group of 3-4 guys who are at seperate work places, and just talking about our.. I mean their... golf trip coming up :D

Compile 'em all

Sep 22, 2009, 09:30 PM

Gmail is "free" only in the sense that it's paid for by advertising (like everything else served up by Google). As part of the "services", Gmail reads the content of your emails to target the ads it serves. I guess that's okay with a lot of people, but I'd personally rather pay a few bucks to Apple for MobileMe and retain at least a semblance of privacy.

This is the most ridiculous claim I have read on this thread so far. What makes you think Apple doesn't do anything to your emails?

The fact is: unless you are willing to host your _own_ mail server, being paranoid about privacy is pointless.

Compile 'em all

Sep 22, 2009, 09:37 PM

It's funny, I love the conversations on Gmail, expecially, when you have a group of 3-4 guys who are at seperate work places, and just talking about our.. I mean their... golf trip coming up :D

Golf sucks.

Stop playing it.

Diode

Sep 22, 2009, 09:37 PM

For those wondering, it won't work with Snow Leopard.

Google's exchange sync uses ActiveSync (Exchange 2003) while Snow Leopard uses EWS (Only compatible with 2007).

Until google updates to be compatible with EWS or Apple allows Snow Leopard to use ActiveSync we are no go.

Diode

Sep 22, 2009, 09:39 PM

This is the most ridiculous claim I have read on this thread so far. What makes you think Apple doesn't do anything to your emails?

The fact is: unless you are willing to host your _own_ mail server, being paranoid about privacy is pointless.

Even then, a host of others can read your mail (For instance your ISP). Unless you encrypt at the message level anything can be read in regards to email.

macfan881

Sep 22, 2009, 09:47 PM

I Expect a price drop of Mobile Me by the next "media event" or have something else to add to the 99$ cause right now the only thing i see thats worth having moblie me is the find my iphone and thats not worth 99 bucks.

ogdogg

Sep 22, 2009, 09:47 PM

Everything is working great now. Google seems to have gotten past the initial rush.

plazmatyk

Sep 22, 2009, 09:47 PM

I just have a quick question:

If I just wanted to use Sync and Push for my gmail email, is there an option to let MobileMe continue syncing my contacts and calendars? When I got MobileMe, I had contacts syncing with my Mac via iTunes when I synced music, so I had contacts on the iPhone. Then when I activated MobileMe, all the contacts got doubled. I just switched to view only MobileMe contacts so it wasn't a big issue (and over time I just deleted the doubles from the iPhone and stopped syncing via iTunes). Same thing happened with calendars synced from iCal doubling MobileMe calendars.

So basically what I'm asking is does anyone who has calendars and contacts syncing via MobileMe have Google Sync doubling them? Or are you able to choose to push only gmail and not sync contacts/calendars?

hidehide

Sep 22, 2009, 09:57 PM

Does that mean it keep checking the email automatically.. so its like push function??

If my plan has limited to 500mb data usage, will this use up all my data??

cnorth3

Sep 22, 2009, 10:09 PM

This is the most ridiculous claim I have read on this thread so far. What makes you think Apple doesn't do anything to your emails?

The fact is: unless you are willing to host your _own_ mail server, being paranoid about privacy is pointless.

Well, you might start reading Google's terms of service before you call this a "ridiculous claim":

"Google maintains and processes your Gmail account and its contents to provide the Gmail service to you and to improve our services. The Gmail service includes relevant advertising and related links based on the IP address, content of messages and other information related to your use of Gmail.
Google's computers process the information in your messages for various purposes, including formatting and displaying the information to you, delivering advertisements and related links, preventing unsolicited bulk email (spam), backing up your messages, and other purposes relating to offering you Gmail.
Google may send you information related to your Gmail account or other Google services."

Go ahead and compare this to the MobileMe TOS. Too bad so many people are as blissfully ignorant as you.

hitekalex

Sep 22, 2009, 10:10 PM

Is it possible to set a custom "from" e-mail address in Exchange mail account? In other words, I want my e-mails to be seen as "username@mydomain.com" instead of "username@gmail.com".

It was certainly possible with IMAP. Now even if I set Account Info/Email to my custom domain, outbound e-mail still use gmail.com address. Any way around this?

MacGiver

Sep 22, 2009, 10:10 PM

Please correct me if i am wrong...here is what the google sync/push will do for me:
1- if i delete a mail from my iphone it will delete it from google mail and therefore from my mail iphone app and vice versa. is that correct?
2- Everything that i will add/delete on my iCal will go to google agenda and everything i add/delete to google agenda will go on iCal...iCal will be an image of google agenda or vice versa and will be on my iphone calendar. Is that correct?
3- Every contact i will add/delete on my apple address book will but synced to my iphone and vice versa?

Thanks
X

Cerebrus' Maw

Sep 22, 2009, 11:18 PM

Golf sucks.

Stop playing it.

Your view, not everyone elses!

paulvdb

Sep 23, 2009, 12:52 AM

Finally!! Works great for me

Google Sync: Set Up Your iPhone or iPod Touch
Print
To set up Google Sync on your iPhone or iPod Touch device, please follow the steps below .

Requirements and Upload
1. Google Sync is only supported on iPhone OS versions 3.0 and above. You can check your current version by going to Settings > General > About > Version. To upgrade, follow the instructions at http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/. Please upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 before setting up Google Sync.

2. Perform a sync with iTunes to ensure that Contacts and Calendars from your iPhone are backed up to your computer.

Getting Started
1. Open the Settings application on your device's home screen.
2. Open Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
3. Tap Add Account....
4. Select Microsoft Exchange.

Enter Account Info
5. In the Email field, enter your full Google Account email address. If you use an @googlemail.com address, you may see an "Unable to verify certificate" warning when you proceed to the next step.
6. Leave the Domain field blank.
7. Enter your full Google Account email address as the Username.
8. Enter your Google Account password as the Password.
9. Tap Next at the top of your screen.
9a. Choose Accept if the Unable to Verify Certificate dialog appears.
10. A new Server field will appear. Enter m.google.com.

11. Press Next at the top of your screen again.

12. Select the Google services you want to sync.

13. Unless you want to delete all the existing Contacts and Calendars on your phone, select the Keep on my iPhone option when prompted. This will also allow you to keep syncing with your computer via iTunes.

If you want to sync only the My Contacts group, you must choose to Delete Existing Contacts during the Google Sync install when prompted. If you choose to keep existing contacts, it will sync the contents of the "All Contacts" group instead.

duncanbishop

Sep 23, 2009, 02:17 AM

This is a limitation of the Exchange protocol itself I believe. I have never seen any Exchange client software that can support more than 1 Exchange account at once.

Other than Entourage ?

Journojulz

Sep 23, 2009, 03:10 AM

What makes you think Apple doesn't do anything to your emails?

The lack of spam.

Whatever they are doing with it - they aren't selling it on

Only use my .me for apple stuff and haven't had a single spam since i joined in 2007.

-------

I am a little confused here.
I have been getting gmail push for weeks into my inbox by setting up gmail in settings/mail/options

Whats new about google sync?

LSS

Sep 23, 2009, 03:19 AM

Mail is working now, but calendars and contacts are not synching either way. Also, I never got the "Keep on my iPhone" question. :confused:

stefman

Sep 23, 2009, 04:37 AM

Tried it today to replace my IMAP account and I have now decided to go back to IMAP and forward to MobileMe for the push part. Didn't like the way it handled sent e-mails (they don't show up on my mac when sent from the iPhone).

Also, it can only be one account at a time, I have a few on my phone so only one could benefit.

It works well, but not for me.

Phil A.

Sep 23, 2009, 05:09 AM

Wirelessly posted (iPod touch 32GB: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7C144 Safari/528.16)

This is a limitation of the Exchange protocol itself I believe. I have never seen any Exchange client software that can support more than 1 Exchange account at once.

Other than Entourage ?

Entourage doesn't use exchange activesync, it uses a combination of IMAP and WebDAV.

room237

Sep 23, 2009, 08:48 AM

Great, except that I'm already using the exchange email account for work and I don't want to give that up. Why can't they just push their regular damn email like others? Don't hotmail and yahoo do that without any issue? It really makes me consider switching.

The Luke

Sep 23, 2009, 08:51 AM

Not sure if I entirely get how to set this up properly.
Firstly, before getting started, although I use gmail, I have no contacts on the gmail address book, and no entries in google calendar.

I set up the exchange account as per google's instructions, but when it came to the options for contacts, I set it to sync, but when asked, I clicked keep existing on my iPhone.
Then for calendar, I clicked sync to on, but keep existing on the phone again.
I was hoping that the contacts and calendar information I had on the phone would be synced over to google. Nothing has showed up in my google contacts or calendar.

What do I have to do?

Thanks for any help.

ramyramy

Sep 23, 2009, 09:30 AM

Weird, emails come through right away but push/exchange makes my email app REALLY slow. Anyone else getting this? Or is this the result of the constant "Connecting"...

abecker

Sep 23, 2009, 09:31 AM

Took a while to get it working right, originally lagged my phone like crazy. When SL came out I checked the box to sync google and iPhone so all my numbers were on there.

Now I wiped my phone and I having it all synced from google. It generally works within a min or two of adding/deleting a number, a folder, or an email

Compile 'em all

Sep 23, 2009, 09:36 AM

I am a little confused here.
I have been getting gmail push for weeks into my inbox by setting up gmail in settings/mail/options

No you didn't.

prominence

Sep 23, 2009, 10:06 AM

Can anyone tell me where the sent messages are stored? There is a "Sent Items" and "Sent Messages", but neither of them house the sent emails from the iPhone.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 11:19 AM

techiegirl

Sep 23, 2009, 11:21 AM

My sent emails are in "Sent Mail", right below "Chat."

Can anyone tell me where the sent messages are stored? There is a "Sent Items" and "Sent Messages", but neither of them house the sent emails from the iPhone.

clarksonknight

Sep 23, 2009, 11:23 AM

I must've set up something incorrectly. I sent a message to myself and I never get a notification. It's acting just as it did with imap, it only shows a new message if I open the Mail app. I deleted and readded the email account and it's still not pushing. Still overloaded with new users?

Just tested... sent an email to myself via my PC, took approximately 5 seconds to get pushed to the phone, then deleting via PC was pushed almost instantaneously.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 11:26 AM

Just tested... sent an email to myself via my PC, took approximately 5 seconds to get pushed to the phone, then deleting via PC was pushed almost instantaneously.

I sent a message 10 minutes ago, it hasn't shown up yet. I set up the email account on the phone, is there something else I need to do in my gmail account or in the iPhone settings that I didn't see in the set up instructions?

techiegirl

Sep 23, 2009, 11:30 AM

If you sent a message from your gmail account to your gmail account, you'll never get it. It's a gmail limitation.

I sent a message 10 minutes ago, it hasn't shown up yet. I set up the email account on the phone, is there something else I need to do in my gmail account or in the iPhone settings that I didn't see in the set up instructions?

clarksonknight

Sep 23, 2009, 11:32 AM

I sent a message 10 minutes ago, it hasn't shown up yet. I set up the email account on the phone, is there something else I need to do in my gmail account or in the iPhone settings that I didn't see in the set up instructions?

You also need to make sure you have push enabled for the gmail account via the mail settings on your iPhone. Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendars/Accounts and enable Mail under Exchange ActiveSync.

clarksonknight

Sep 23, 2009, 11:34 AM

If you sent a message from your gmail account to your gmail account, you'll never get it. It's a gmail limitation.

I do this almost daily.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 11:39 AM

You also need to make sure you have push enabled for the gmail account via the mail settings on your iPhone. Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendars/Accounts and enable Mail under Exchange ActiveSync.

I sent the email from my work email account so that shouldn't be an issue. I checked the settings per your instructions above and everything is set up to receive the push email notifications (not contacts and calendars). It's set to sync three days of email only in the inbox.

I'm really not technologically deficient, just can't get this to work.

I checked and the emails I sent were at 9:12am and 9:21am local time and it's now 9:37am. I've seen others' comments indicating delays but not nearly this long.

clarksonknight

Sep 23, 2009, 11:41 AM

I sent the email from my work email account so that shouldn't be an issue. I checked the settings per your instructions above and everything is set up to receive the push email notifications (not contacts and calendars). It's set to sync three days of email only in the inbox.

I'm really not technologically deficient, just can't get this to work.

I checked and the emails I sent were at 9:12am and 9:21am local time and it's now 9:37am. I've seen others' comments indicating delays but not nearly this long.

When I first enabled the service it took quite some time to work, on the order of 15-20 minutes. Could just be the initial growing pains of the service and syncing an account for the first time. Give it a day or so, mine was initially very slow and now it's just fine.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 11:47 AM

When I first enabled the service it took quite some time to work, on the order of 15-20 minutes. Could just be the initial growing pains of the service and syncing an account for the first time. Give it a day or so, mine was initially very slow and now it's just fine.

I guess I'll just leave it and see if it improves over the course of the day. Thanks.

techiegirl

Sep 23, 2009, 11:48 AM

If you haven't done it already, try rebooting your phone.

I guess I'll just leave it and see if it improves over the course of the day. Thanks.

nikhsub1

Sep 23, 2009, 11:54 AM

It is being way buggy for me too... not doing what it should at all. I get the cannot get mail all the time. Back to IMAP.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 12:01 PM

If you haven't done it already, try rebooting your phone.

I tried rebooting and closed down gmail notifier and web browser. Waiting to see if anything works.

clarksonknight

Sep 23, 2009, 12:05 PM

I tried rebooting and closed down gmail notifier and web browser. Waiting to see if anything works.

I did this yesterday and it didn't seem to have an immediate effect, but as the day went on everything smoothed out.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 12:26 PM

I did this yesterday and it didn't seem to have an immediate effect, but as the day went on everything smoothed out.

If/When this starts working, what notification will it display? Alert, sound and badge or just a badge?

If I look at Settings>Notifications, should there be an entry for mail there? Mine doesn't show anything for mail there.

prominence

Sep 23, 2009, 12:42 PM

My sent emails are in "Sent Mail", right below "Chat."

I don't have a "Sent Mail" or a "Chat." Just "Sent Items" and "Sent Messages," and both folders are empty.

I'm so lost:(

Journojulz

Sep 23, 2009, 12:54 PM

No you didn't.

I set up this before the 3.1 (switched to fetch to try and cure comas)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2600/3947484865_8c67c6b200.jpg

gmails arrive in my gmailbox and i get a red number on my mail icon.

Is this not push gmail?

outphase

Sep 23, 2009, 12:57 PM

Is this not push gmail?

That is still not push. You are fetching emails instead of being pushed them.

Journojulz

Sep 23, 2009, 01:30 PM

Ta.

I have set my mail back to push - it didn't cure the comas.

Any idea how often it fetches from Gmail?
Or is it a case of sending a test email and checking myself?

EDIT - 5 minutes.

G2244

Sep 23, 2009, 01:38 PM

For whatever reason, it will sync up to 1 month for me. If I make it wide open, it doesn't do anything.

:annoyed:

I have this issue as well. :(

I figure it is either that they are limiting this on purpose to reduce load *OR* that it has to do with how they archive. You don't normally see what is archived through the browser UI but I beleive it happens on the back end. I am wondering if the archive is 30 days (or so) and the new push/sync stuff can only show non-archived items.

wackoyacky

Sep 23, 2009, 02:15 PM

Regarding Push vs Fetch

I thought Push Notifications doesn't go back and forth the server to check for new emails, but why is it when I check the Cellular Network Data Usage both Sent and Received indicates that there is atleast some bits of data transferred back and forth.

Is it correct to say that Push Notification is a "light weight" version of Fetch? So turning on push notification will degrade the battery significantly same as Fetch?

G2244

Sep 23, 2009, 02:51 PM

Confirmation from Google- currently only can display email up to 28 days old regardless of settings. See post from DouglasG (Google Employee):

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=1d3c55830c120006&hl=en

ipoddin

Sep 23, 2009, 04:48 PM

If/When this starts working, what notification will it display? Alert, sound and badge or just a badge?

If I look at Settings>Notifications, should there be an entry for mail there? Mine doesn't show anything for mail there.

This is push email. It is not push notifications. You just get your email delivered to your inbox immediately, just like it works for Yahoo and .Mac email already.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 04:55 PM

This is push email. It is not push notifications. You just get your email delivered to your inbox immediately, just like it works for Yahoo and .Mac email already.

But when a new mail arrives, it will show a badge on the Mail icon, correct? That will indicate that it's been "pushed" to my phone. Because if it's just showing up when I open Mail, that's no better than manually fetching.

ipoddin

Sep 23, 2009, 04:59 PM

But when a new mail arrives, it will show a badge on the Mail icon, correct? That will indicate that it's been "pushed" to my phone. Because if it's just showing up when I open Mail, that's no better than manually fetching.

Well yes.

bigdaddymac

Sep 23, 2009, 05:22 PM

The inbox and arrival of new messages is working OK for me, but I find that opening up a different folder (like SENT, or one of my other labels) is REALLY slow.

I am a google apps user, and when I opened up a folder when I was using IMAP, the emails contained in that folder appeared almost immediately. It is taking forever in MS Exchange. Is that true for others as well? Will it get better over time, or is that it? I may have to go back to IMAP, as much as I want Push email.

subie09lega

Sep 23, 2009, 05:27 PM

Well yes.

It's working now. Just sent another email and the badge popped up on the mail icon. Thanks for your direction!

Habusho

Sep 23, 2009, 06:43 PM

IBradMac

Sep 23, 2009, 07:23 PM

I can finally do what blackberries could always do. :rolleyes:

wackoyacky

Sep 23, 2009, 11:04 PM

skellener

Sep 24, 2009, 02:18 AM

Habusho

Sep 24, 2009, 02:21 AM

Anybody check which system drains more battery; push via gmail or using a program like pushgmail...

bigdaddymac

Sep 24, 2009, 10:21 AM

I have been using the "push mail" app, and it works flawlessly. I may go back to imap and continue using this app, as the slow loading of other folders and the that gmail with exchange is only going back 28 days, no matter how you set it, is just too problematic. I really wanted true push mail, but I'll have to hold off for now.

ipoddin

Sep 24, 2009, 10:51 AM

If you want the best of both worlds, just purchase a program called pushgmail, which will send you notifications and open mail via imap. This app is fantastic, and will work with your google apps acct.

I ended up turning off Gmail push because of battery life. I purchased a different notification app called "Notifications". Reason for that one is because it doesn't need your Gmail credentials, and it allows you to designate only certain emails to pop up a push notification. I use Google Voice and forward all SMS to my Gmail. So I only want notified when I get a new text message in my Gmail, not a notification for every email. It also works with Twitter and other services.

Using this method I get free SMS and notified immediately up on receiving a text message!

subie09lega

Sep 24, 2009, 12:39 PM

With the service disruption, I am not able to access my mail on my iPhone through the Mail app, only through Safari.

bigdaddymac

Sep 24, 2009, 12:41 PM

With the service disruption, I am not able to access my mail on my iPhone through the Mail app, only through Safari.

Mine went down as well on my iPhone, though my IMAP account on the iPhone account on the iPhone continued to work, as well as mail via safari.

I just think the new Google Mail/Exchange/iPhone setup isn't quite ready for prime time yet.

JHWright

Sep 24, 2009, 06:52 PM

Ok, I'm a little confused....

I originally set up my gmail (@sky.com) account using Push (under the Fetch Data option). Obviously I didn't receive e-mails instantly, although I never had to wait more than 10-20 minutes (I think!)

I thought the 'Every 15 minutes' option under the Fetch New Data screen determined how often my iPhone checked for new e-mail, but having looked more closely it appears this is only relevant if the Push is turned off. Is this right?

How do Push and Fetch differ? I though Push meant the e-mails were 'pushed' to your phone, whereas fetch meant you had to check for new messages. If this is true, then how does the original 'Push' option differ from this new Push gmail??

I guess with the new push my e-mails are received (almost) immediately, but to set this up, do I have to delete my current e-mail account, or can I just amend some of the settings? If I do delete the existing account, will I lose all my e-mails (I suppose not as I'd still have access to the same mail server)

Appreciate this is all pretty basic stuff, but that's what these forums are for.... right?

Kfcbill

Sep 25, 2009, 12:51 AM

Push Gmail account could properly display emoji icon in a mail sent from emoji-enable iphone but when I replied to the same mail or create a new mail from the Push account all emoji icons became unreadable characters. However, the same Gmail account setup by IMAP connection are still working for emoji.

Is that true for others as well?

morsidk

Sep 25, 2009, 04:41 AM

This is a limitation of the Exchange protocol itself I believe. I have never seen any Exchange client software that can support more than 1 Exchange account at once.

uhmm Entourage and Outlook?

kdarling

Sep 25, 2009, 08:21 AM

I thought Push Notifications doesn't go back and forth the server to check for new emails, but why is it when I check the Cellular Network Data Usage both Sent and Received indicates that there is atleast some bits of data transferred back and forth.

Fetch checks for email at intervals. The phone opens a communications path to the server, requests status, then closes the path.

So fetch is like calling your wife's hospital every 15 minutes to see if she had a baby yet. If the answer is no, you hang up and wait another 15 minutes before you call again.

Push keeps a communications path open. Whenever an email arrives, the server quickly sends a notification down the path. Since cell communication paths are time limited, the phone must send a heartbeat ping to the server every 10-45 minutes to keep the path open. It figures out how often, by starting short and going longer until it stops working, then backs off.

So push is like calling the hospital, but leaving it on speakerphone. If you have a baby, you'll know right away because your line (path) stays open and the nurse (server) can notify you instantly. But the phone call automatically drops every 10-45 minutes if you don't say anything, so you have to say something (ping) just before it drops you each time. The time period varies, so you must figure out the least period by trial and error.

(Push is not about saving battery. It can use much more than fetch, especially if you get emails often. Its primary purpose is getting the email to you right away.)

I can finally do what blackberries could always do. :rolleyes:

Not quite. Blackberries have true push, no pings needed. RIM paid over a half billion dollars to buy the patent for it. Saves battery and is what makes them special.

Regards.

QCassidy352

Sep 27, 2009, 01:31 PM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7C144 Safari/528.16)

Gmail only going back 28 days + lack of drafts are, together, a deal breaker. I'm sticking with imap for now.

Uabcar

Sep 28, 2009, 08:44 AM

Fetch checks for email at intervals. The phone opens a communications path to the server, requests status, then closes the path.

So fetch is like calling your wife's hospital every 15 minutes to see if she had a baby yet. If the answer is no, you hang up and wait another 15 minutes before you call again.

Push keeps a communications path open. Whenever an email arrives, the server quickly sends a notification down the path. Since cell communication paths are time limited, the phone must send a heartbeat ping to the server every 10-45 minutes to keep the path open. It figures out how often, by starting short and going longer until it stops working, then backs off.

So push is like calling the hospital, but leaving it on speakerphone. If you have a baby, you'll know right away because your line (path) stays open and the nurse (server) can notify you instantly. But the phone call automatically drops every 10-45 minutes if you don't say anything, so you have to say something (ping) just before it drops you each time. The time period varies, so you must figure out the least period by trial and error.

(Push is not about saving battery. It can use much more than fetch, especially if you get emails often. Its primary purpose is getting the email to you right away.)

Not quite. Blackberries have true push, no pings needed. RIM paid over a half billion dollars to buy the patent for it. Saves battery and is what makes them special.

Regards.

Nice explanation Kdarling. I always find your posts informative and value add. Thanks...

Since last weeks launch I discovered that I really don't need instant gmail. I really much prefer instant notice that email has arrived (using GPush for this). I do wish Apple would implement an LED indicator like my blackberry as I find this very handy.