No alert operates in Android until that gmail account opens in Windows 10

[AC Question]

I set an email alert in gmail on my windows 10 computer and then on my android smartphone. Many times the alert does not operate on my smartphone until gmail is opened on my computer.

What can be done to have the android alert not be dependent on opening in windows first?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! What do you mean by an email alert? Are you talking about a notification for new incoming mail?

 

[RW H]

By alert I mean a notification of a new email arriving.

 

[B. Diddy]

Which phone do you have? Are you using the Gmail app, or are you accessing your Gmail through the stock Email app? Any power-saving modes turned on, or do you have Restrict Background Data turned on?

 

[RW H]

Phone is LG K7. I touch the Google icon and then touch the Gmail icon if I want to look at a Gmail email on the phone. No power saving mode is turned on. Restrict Background Data is not turned on. Notification by sound is turned on. Missed Notification Reminder app is installed so that there are followup reminders following the initial Android sound notification until I can respond. Many times, not always, neither the initial Android notification nor Missed Notifications will work until the computer is turned on, and often not until Gmail is opened on the computer.

I rely on the phone to alert me that there is a new email. I shut the computer off at night and do not want to have to turn the computer on just so the notification will sound on the phone, or if the computer is turned on, to remember to open the Gmail tab on the Windows computer so notification will work on the Android phone.

My guess is that there is some issue in synchronization between Windows 10 Gmail and Android Gmail such that Android Gmail operation/notification is somehow dependent on Windows 10 Gmail operation.

 

[B. Diddy]

Does this happen if you temporarily uninstall the Missed Notification Reminder app? Also, does this happen in Safe Mode as well? https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-30604

 

[RW H]

It does not make any difference whether the phone is in safe mode or not or if Missed Notifications is installed or not (except that there is no reminder).

What is consistent is that notification failure happens most often when the computer is turned off or when the Gmail tab has not been opened since turning the computer on.

 

[B. Diddy]

That's a real headscratcher. I'll have to think about this a bit more. Let me see if any of the other Ambassadors have any ideas.

 

[recDNA]

It does not make any difference whether the phone is in safe mode or not or if Missed Notifications is installed or not (except that there is no reminder).

What is consistent is that notification failure happens most often when the computer is turned off or when the Gmail tab has not been opened since turning the computer on.

Do you use 2 step verification?

 

[RW H]

I do not use 2-step verification.

The problem also happens sometimes when the computer goes to sleep. I have 30 minutes to respond to these emails or I miss out on the use of them so I need unfailing notification.

One other peculiarity is that on the phone, a received email will sometimes not show in the inbox and the message "You're all done!" is all I see. However, if I tap the three bars at the top to bring up the list of boxes, inbox, important, sent, outbox, drafts, etc., the inbox line shows that there is "1" email in the inbox. When I tap the inbox line and go back to the inbox, it still says "You're all done!" instead of showing the email. I can go back and forth with the same annoying result.

Nothing like this happens in Gmail on the computer.

 

[RW H]

There had been no notification from the phone all day.

I opened Gmail on the computer, there was a new email which had arrived an hour earlier, but still no notification from the phone.

I put a checkmark in the box adjacent to the email to allow me to delete it. Immediately, the phone made a sound notification, before deletion, but too late for me to take advantage of the email.

So annoying.

 

[B. Diddy]

This almost certainly wouldn't be related, but just to check -- are you somehow using the POP3 server for Gmail?

Also, how are you opening Gmail on the computer? Are you going to the Gmail website, or are you accessing it through an email client program like Outlook?

This thread sounds familiar, but I'm not sure how similar it is to your situation: https://forums.windowscentral.com/m...ont-new-emails-arrive-until-i-open-inbox.html

 

[RW H]

I use Firefox and have a Gmail inbox tab sitting there. I did not set up anything for POP3 that I know of.

I am not using any email client, just this address in Firefox: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox.

 

[B. Diddy]

See if the first two suggestions here help: https://android.gadgethacks.com/how...gmail-hangouts-notifications-android-0168569/

 

[RW H]

See if the first two suggestions here help: https://android.gadgethacks.com/how...gmail-hangouts-notifications-android-0168569/

They apply to versions 6.0 or higher. The version on my LG K7 is 5.1.1.

 

[RW H]

I now have two additional LG K7 phones to help with getting timely notifications. The settings are the same on each.

Today, a notification sounded on one of the additional phones and Missed Notifications Reminder sounded after that. The primary phone which I use for phone calls etc did not make a notification even after waiting ten minutes.

So I opened Gmail on the computer, and then the primary made a notification immediately.

 

[B. Diddy]

You don't use Microsoft Phone Companion to sync your phone to the PC, right? From what I can tell, this shouldn't affect Gmail, but I'm starting to grasp for straws here.:-\

 

[RW H]

I do not use Microsoft Phone Companion.

 

[RW H]

Just missed another lead because it took an hour for a notification to sound on the phone.

Went to Gmail, there was an email which had arrived one hour earlier than the notification sounding.

 

[RW H]

Since my last post, I have refrained from opening this Gmail account on the computer.

During this period, notifications have worked within a minute or two every single time in complete contrast to what was happening before when I left the tab in place and deleted the old emails using the computer. Now, I go to that Gmail account only on one of the phones and never go there on the computer.

The longer there is no problem, the more it will confirm that this is the solution. I may never know why, but it is making a huge difference so far. Thank you B.Diddy and recDNA for trying to help.