Gmail and.or Apps Power Users - What's your set up?

[RealDeal71]

I have a Google Apps account and use it for everything; email, calendar and contacts.

There are the issues with the calendar, e.g., notifications/alerts don't work exactly as they're supposed to.

But my main issue is with the mail. I'm currently using Exchange on the iPhone to access/sync my Google mail, calendar and contacts but that has limitations. For example, when I delete a message on my iPhone it goes into Archive instead of trash. That's just one example. There are others that have been talked about a lot.


Bottom line: What is the best option for someone like me who lives by Gmail and also wants to use it with their iPhone?

Thanks!

 

[CYaris]

I have found that I needed to move my two apps accounts to a gmail set-up. That allows me to delete e-mail.

The only downside is no push, but a short delay seems worth it. My apps accounts never updated the phone. I would have mail in my inbox on the phone but not in outlook or at the google end.

Weird. Miss the instant e-mail of the blackberry, right now, but this seems to be working.

 

[ardoreal]

I'm using the m.google.com exchange setup, and I haven't had any issues with calendars. I did have to setup the google sync using the browser on the phone to get it to show all my calendars, other than that it works great. Push and all.

 

[shinbone]

As far as Calendar goes, I installed the "Occasions" app. This solved my main problem with the native iPhone app, which didn't push automatic notifications of my Gmail Contacts' birthdays and anniversaries. "Occasions" filled in that gap and works great.

App Store > Productivity > Occasions: Birthdays & More!

 

[markhunsaker]

I use Gmail for my email and main calendar...

I set up my Gmail through Microsoft Exchange and have it set to push.

 

[vietalogy]

I have a Google Apps account and use it for everything; email, calendar and contacts.

There are the issues with the calendar, e.g., notifications/alerts don't work exactly as they're supposed to.

But my main issue is with the mail. I'm currently using Exchange on the iPhone to access/sync my Google mail, calendar and contacts but that has limitations. For example, when I delete a message on my iPhone it goes into Archive instead of trash. That's just one example. There are others that have been talked about a lot.


Bottom line: What is the best option for someone like me who lives by Gmail and also wants to use it with their iPhone?

Thanks!

Go to your mail setting and turn off mail archive.

I use gmail with exchange which is instant push.

 

[CYaris]

Go to your mail setting and turn off mail archive.

I use gmail with exchange which is instant push.

I believe you can only turn off archive when it is set up as gmail, not exchange. At least I never had the setting for the exchange accounts. Not until I set them up as gmail.

 

[vietalogy]

I believe you can only turn off archive when it is set up as gmail, not exchange. At least I never had the setting for the exchange accounts. Not until I set them up as gmail.

Thats correct my bad. When setting up as exchange when deleting email it will delete and not archive.

 

[eye4ni]

For my Google Apps Gmail, I use an app called "Push for GMail". I think I paid around $2 for it in the app store. This app sends me push notifications for new email instantly, without fail. I have been very happy with this app, been using it for over a month. Within the app, you can select the default location to view emails (default mail app, gmail mobile site, or Push for Gmail app, which is just a glorified version of the mobile inbox). I use the Push for Gmail app to view new messages, because from here, I have all of my familiar GMail functions like labels, stars, archiving, and delete actually goes to the trash. Sometimes it loads kinda slow, depends on your signal strength, but I have been very happy with it thus far.

The only time I use the default iphone mail app is when I compose a new email. It works fine for this, but otherwise, I do not sync the inbox to my phone at all, I only use the mobile gmail inbox.

As for the calendar, I am still trying to find a good third party app because I think the iphone calendar sucks. Notifications are a joke, it sounds off one time for reminders, and I always miss them.

*edited app is called "Push for Gmail", lots of people are giving negative reviews saying that the app has stopped working for them, but I have had ZERO issues...

 

[vietalogy]

For my Google Apps Gmail, I use an app called "Push GMail". I think I paid around $2 for it in the app store. This app sends me push notifications for new email instantly, without fail. I have been very happy with this app, been using it for over a month. Within the app, you can select the default location to view emails (default mail app, gmail mobile site, or Push Gmail app, which is just a glorified version of the mobile inbox). I use the Push Gmail app to view new messages, because from here, I have all of my familiar GMail functions like labels, stars, archiving, and delete actually goes to the trash. Sometimes it loads kinda slow, depends on your signal strength, but I have been very happy with it thus far.

The only time I use the default iphone mail app is when I compose a new email. It works fine for this, but otherwise, I do not sync the inbox to my phone at all, I only use the mobile gmail inbox.

As for the calendar, I am still trying to find a good third party app because I think the iphone calendar sucks. Notifications are a joke, it sounds off one time for reminders, and I always miss them.

Boxcar has similar functions and it's free.

 

[eye4ni]

Boxcar has similar functions and it's free.

Yes, but the push for gmail app gives me an icon with unread badge etc. I have replaced the mail icon on my dock with the gmail app icon. I really wish that google would just make their own Gmail app for iphone.....

 

[vietalogy]

Yes, but the push for gmail app gives me an icon with unread badge etc. I have replaced the mail icon on my dock with the gmail app icon. I really wish that google would just make their own Gmail app for iphone.....

Boxcar will give you a badge also. Have you tried setting yup exchange instead of gmail setup? Exchange is push email.

 

[Alli]

I'm confused as to why you would need an app to do what (little) the iPhone email app already does.

My Google apps accounts email is pushed to me, and I get a notification and a badge on the icon. Usually, mail hits my iPhone prior to it hitting my desktop.

 

[Asunners]

I have a number of gmail accounts pushed to my phone via Exchange. I occasionally have 'incorrect password' problem, but that's the only problem I have.

 

[736dave]

Exchange Activesync, like most others here.

And yes, remember to use sync to add all your calendars;
https://m.google.com/sync

 

[mededitor]

I'm confused as to why you would need an app to do what (little) the iPhone email app already does.

My Google apps accounts email is pushed to me, and I get a notification and a badge on the icon. Usually, mail hits my iPhone prior to it hitting my desktop.

Exact same experience for me. My e-mails show-up on both my iPhone and my Mac (via the native Mail app).

I also use my Mac's native iCal and Address Book, along with the iPhone's native Calendar and Contacts. I have everything set to wirelessly sync via Google and it does a great job. Within a minute of adding a new appointment to either my Mac or my iPhone, it's already on the other device.

I've added plenty of paid apps to my iPhone, but I haven't spent a penny on my e-mail, contacts, or calendar apps.

 

[RealDeal71]

Thank you for all of your great suggestions!

I don't need push so that's not really an issue. But I have changed my settings (thanks to a combination of all of your suggestions) as follows:

1. I have my mail set up on the iPhone through the Gmail account.
2. I have my Contacts and calendars set through Exchange.

So far this is working well for me.

Thanks again so much for all of your help!!

 

[spltngheadache]

The exchange archive instead of delete issue bothered me too. As a work around to keep push and still use the native mail app on the iPhone I made a label called "_Delete" (the _ is so it's at the top of the label list). When I want to delete messages I move them to that folder/label and "delete" for archive. Then periodically when I'm at my computer and logged into the web app I clean out the label and actually trash them.

It's an extra step but I find it's the best of both worlds to get push and keep my inbox clean, but if push doesn't matter to you, the gmail account option on the phone is probably the best bet.

Just my two cents.

 

[CYaris]

Hate to revive this thread, but I went back to the exchange set-up for push, but for some reason mail stays on my iphone even when it has been permenantly deleted from outlook and google.

I set up a new folder called iphone, and move all items to delete to that folder, and delete them when I'm at the desktop. However, my iphone still shows over 70 e-mails in that folder when both outlook and google have none. Refreshing does nothing.

Same thing occassionally happens to the inbox - I will delete mail from outlook, and it is remvoed from the google server, but it stays on the iphone.

I'm using google apps premier, if that matters.

Any thoughts?

 

[Alli]

It's a flaw with the way Google implements its Exchange. There doesn't seem to be a way around it.

If you delete the mail from the iPhone, it's gone everywhere. But if you delete elsewhere (after downloading to the iPhone), it remains.