default email app is now gmail in lollipop, ugh!

[nashspacerocket]

i am being forced to use the gmail app for my email.
i have 4 accounts. one gmail, 2 yahoo, and one att.net.
1 - there seems to be no combined inbox like the old app.
2 - the icons for yahoo accounts are the same and the same color so i can't tell which one is which in the sidebar.
3 - my att.net is red, fair enough at least it is different color. but when i pick it one of my yahoo accounts drops off the sidebar. in other words gmail only displays 3 accounts in the sidebar, one active and two others near the bottom.

surely all the accounts should be unique colors to start with, and all of them should be on the sidebar active or not, and there should be a combined inbox.

 

[anon8588978]

I agree, UGH! I do NOT use the Gmail app, and don't want to! What I want is to continue to use the standard email app that I have been using for my 4 email accounts, but even though it is still installed it won't let me! There must be some way to accomplish this. Any ideas from anyone?

 

[anon8588978]

Uh, you mean the app that is no longer available in "Lollipop"? (Google really does have to go away from these childish names.)

 

[Grabber5.0]

Even on 4.4, with a recent update, the gmail app now has access to my yahoo email account that is set up in the default email app. I haven't found any way to disable this - perhaps it was a preview of what was to come with 5.0... I have never liked the gmail app, and now I like it even less.

 

[brentj]

Even on 4.4, with a recent update, the gmail app now has access to my yahoo email account that is set up in the default email app. I haven't found any way to disable this - perhaps it was a preview of what was to come with 5.0... I have never liked the gmail app, and now I like it even less.

On one of my devices, I think my Note 4 phone, I went into Applications Manager, all apps, found Gmail and was able to uninstall the updates, getting it back to where it was before it hijacked all of my email accounts. Now I just make sure to never update Gmail.

I updated my Nexus 7 to Lollipop, and this was the thing that burned me up the most, all my email accounts getting hijacked to the (horrible new) Gmail app, and the disabling of the old default email app. Screw you, Google! Haven't you ever heard of letting users decide if they want to switch to your service? I tried downloading three other email apps and didn't care for any of them. I also did not like the changes made by Lollipop to Contacts. As a lesser annoyance, It struck me as really stupid to have to swipe twice after turning the device on (once to bring up the nine-dot pattern, and then again to trace my pattern) as opposed to the pattern appearing in KitKat as soon as the screen is turned on. WTF?

I downgraded back to KitKat and am happy I did. IMO, Lollipop is to KitKat as Windows Vista was to XP. Stupid software designers came up with grand ideas that users don't want, and shoved them down the users' throats. I hope device manufacturers rebel against Google and Lollipop before I need a new phone, two years from now. If not, it will be a long time before I buy a new Android device, if they come stock with Lollipop and no ability to dump it for KitKat.

Now, perhaps Lollipop has some beneficial features. I don't plan to find out. In my mind, "Lollipop = Windows Vista." Let's hope Google learns and does better with the next version of Android.

 

[Old Stoneface]

On one of my devices, I think my Note 4 phone, I went into Applications Manager, all apps, found Gmail and was able to uninstall the updates, getting it back to where it was before it hijacked all of my email accounts. Now I just make sure to never update Gmail.

Disable it. Problem solved.

 

[anon8588978]

I too, noticed that when the Gmail app was updated under version 4.4 it immediately started to migrate all of my email accounts. I found that the only way to stop this was to immediately shut down my device, then upon restarting, remove the accounts ONLY from the Gmail app in settings/accounts, but that was when the older email app was still functional. When I was finally notified that v.5.0.1 was available, I THOUGHT I wanted it due to all the good reviews I had read, but when the forced "migration" process started there was NO way to stop it, and when clicking on the old email app it just shows a screen stating that all accounts were now in the Gmail app and a link to "learn more", which only tells you that there are several other apps in the Play store one can use, one of which IS the older app! It shows the green check mark showing me it is installed, but of course I can't use it, and to remove the accounts from the Gmail app, without first installing an alternative is scary because it asks if you really want to do this because "all data will be lost"! Catch 22! IMO, the forced move to Gmail simply makes it easier for Google to track ALL of your email, not only just your Gmail, and if your like me, I use different accounts for different reasons, some personal, and others. I know that probably all my email is available to be read by SOMEONE somewhere anyway, but why make it easier for them! And I agree with brentj's assessment that "Lollipop" is like Google's "Vista", and hopefully will cause a negative backlash against Google. When I first chose a smartphone, I chose Android BECAUSE of the CHOICES it allowed me to make, unlike the "I" stuff.

Two more things: brentj, you mentioned going back to 4.4; how did you do this? Google help did give me a web page to download images from, but all the warnings are to say the least, troubling. Did you lose or break anything when downgrading? The second thing, after I had written out this whole reply (not exactly), and had seen the "auto save" indicator pop up occasionally, when I clicked on the "Post quick reply" button, I was brought to a page that said my "token" had expired and to hit the back button and START ALL OVER AGAIN! Argh! This time I'm copying this to the clipboard BEFORE I post!

See, the SAME THING JUST HAPPENED! It says I'm going to "leave the page" this time, and then tells me my "token has expired, and press the back button AGAIN!

It's doing it again, uh, why would clicking on "Post quick reply" NOT simply POST A QUICK REPLY?!

 

[anon8588978]

Ok, disable what, Gmail? The other app DOESN'T work! And if one doesn't like any of the other alternatives, then once again, Catch 22! You're stuck!

 

[Old Stoneface]

Ok, disable what, Gmail?

Yeah. Go into "Settings -> Apps -> All", locate Gmail, uninstall updates and disable.

The other app DOESN'T work!

I presume you mean the old generic email app?

And if one doesn't like any of the other alternatives, then once again, Catch 22! You're stuck!

*shrug* Dunno what to tell you.

I was never all that impressed with the old email app, anyway. I've been using K9 Mail. Lately I looked at Blue Mail. (Once they provide the ability to see full headers, I'll probably switch to that.) There's a boatload of others. If you cannot find an email app on Android that you find at least tolerable... I dunno. Switch to Apple? WinPhone?

 

[brentj]

Two more things: brentj, you mentioned going back to 4.4; how did you do this? Google help did give me a web page to download images from, but all the warnings are to say the least, troubling. Did you lose or break anything when downgrading?

I posted in the Lollipop forum as to how I downgraded back to KitKat on my N7, here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/android-5-0-lollipop/470779-android-5-1-a.html#post4117541

The end result, once I succeeded, was like having a brand new tablet, with all of my stuff gone. Before I did this, I moved photos, music, and video to a folder on my computer, and then I did a backup of the N7 using My Backup Pro (the app costs a few bucks), backing up to a Dropbox folder. This allowed somewhat quicker restore of apps and contacts, but I still had to manually accept the re-installation of many apps one by one, still had to set up my home pages again the way I liked them, and still had to add back my email and other accounts with user names and passwords.