I was wondering if there was a way to add additional email accounts to send/reply from within iCloud (ie, can I set it up to send/reply from my Gmail or work email accounts)? I didn't see this option, and maybe they don't have it because they want tight, integrated control.
When I had push on for iCloud, sometimes mail wouldn't push at all and I would have to open the mail app and get new messages. App badges also did not collaborate between iPad/iPhone/MacMail so I switch it to fetch every 15 minutes and everything works perfect now.
Laura, if you go to your Mail \ All Mailboxes, and read an email there, when replying, you can choose to 'send' from any account that you have on your iOS device
Now, if you're asking to do this via the iCloud website, sorry, that can't be done...
...you see when one speaks too soon, what happens is things STOP working! So, iCloud email is not PUSHing anymore, albeit it worked fine for about 48 hours.
I give up, I'll stick with GMail. Maybe I'll use a client for GMail to thus avoid seeing the ads on their website.
No offense intended, I just got finished with a couple of my employees that were whining about the same thing - I'm not inferring anything about you. Just them...
I asked them both to RTF(rickin')M (on their own time, since it's iCloud email they're hooked up to, and they both missed what I was hoping they'd see - "Push delivers new information when iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network." - copied directly from the iPhone user manual. If one's on a cellular network, the Mail badge gets pushed a notification there's iCloud email, and that might be on the Fetch schedule depending on the network you're on (we have a lot of areas with USCC coverage here with no native VZW coverage, but that's besides my point). If Push isn't available, Fetch or Manual schedules are observed.
I also told them that, when they get a notification and they're on a cellular network, they actually have to open up the Mail app to refresh and fetch the iCloud email. And now they both owe me a beer (again, no personal inference). Other email providers have different pipes in iOS - I wish Apple would include a matrix somewhere that shows what's what. I read the manual before installing iOS, and I've read lots of posts here, on Apple Discussions, and elsewhere that I feel just didn't understand what "push" email is about. I also feel that Apple hasn't fully described its products capabilities - but, that's what the manual is for. FWIW, I have a BB that sits on my desk that maps my important accounts - mainly for the little red notification light, and it's about on par for notifications with my iPhone 99% of the time. FWIW, I have my Exchange work accounts in my iPhone set to Push, a Gmail account set to Push, and my iCloud accounts set to Fetch - and my BB (BES) nearby. Good luck.
Thank you very much for this breakdown, bonesb.
But, I wish it were that simple. I remember yesterday receiving ALL my iCloud emails INSTANTLY while I was at home on WIFI (based on your info below), I was even testing with a friend. I left the house, and for a while, on 3G, it was working fine, i.e. instant delivery of email.
Then as always a few hours later it would only deliver emails if I opened the Mail app on my iPhone 4S. Now, bear in mind, I have my device set to PUSH, but fetch every 15 minutes if for whatever reason PUSH fails.
There is simply NO consistency, rhyme or reason why this simply does not work like GMail\Google's email.
Simply weird...
I've been testing my iCloud email virtually all day. And thus far it seems to be working better ever...
Weird.
Also, I received an email from Mobile ME today, reminding me to move my old Mobile ME account [I had two] from Mobile ME to iCloud. I moved it today, and have an extra 20GB or so, till June 2012. I might have to test my iCloud email a bit more. I certainly want it to work correctly, because the one thing I hate the MOST about GMail is the ads on the web interface.