Problem with Exchange Account Sync

[blackdogAC]

In the past, this was not a problem. I have an Exchange account at work, it was added to my Accounts in Android. No problems. Third party email app picks up the email just fine. Until recently, Business Calendar app picked up the calendar events just fine. I got sync both ways no problem. Recently, my phone will not sync with Exchange for calendar data. Email, no problem. Calendar, nothing.

It’s also a problem on the stock calendar app…the app cannot see the exchange account at all, but if I try to add an exchange account thru the app, it won’t let me because, although it won’t use it, it “knows” that the account exists already on the device and won’t duplicate it.

I have tried deleting and reinstalling the Exchange account. I have checked with my IT manager to see if anything has changed. Nothing has changed.
Any ideas on this? When I go to Settings\Accounts\Exchange\Account Settings…, there are three toggles:
Calendar
Email
Contacts

Each has a refresh/sync icon.
They all are toggled on. When I hit the sync icon for Email, it simply turns the toggle to OFF.

Under Settings for the account, all sync options are on, And Sync Frequency is Automatic/Push.

When I first go to Settings\Accounts\Exchange….i have the email address listed a the top of the page and underneath it says “sync error”
At the bottom of the page: “Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly.”

(It won’t)

I have spent hours on this and I can’t’ figure this out. Any ideas would be very much appreciated. Thanks.
bdAC

 

[Rukbat]

Check with your Exchange administrator for assistance - there are too many ways to mangle Exchange for anyone not running it to know what you need to do.

 

[blackdogAC]

Oh come on...that's not very helpful.
I'm all over he web and see that this is a really common issue.
Which, in 2016, with Android 6.0 ...Not being able to sync Exchange is just insane...it's just such a core function.

 

[acejavelin]

Oh come on...that's not very helpful.
I'm all over he web and see that this is a really common issue.
Which, in 2016, with Android 6.0 ...Not being able to sync Exchange is just insane...it's just such a core function.

Delete the Exchange Account, if you have problems doing that make sure to remove it's device administrator access in Security - Device Administrators first. Then go to Settings - Apps and find Exchange Service (might have to enable Show System) and go into the app and select Storage, and Clear Data, then go back one page and click the Play Store icon in the top right and make sure you have the latest version installed. Now reboot, wait a couple minutes after the device appears up and go to Settings-Accounts and add your Exchange Account again.

 

[blackdogAC]

Well that had the ring of authenticity to it. But it didn't work. When I go to settings.... accounts... exchange.....there is a message at the top "sync error". At the bottom if the page I get "unfortunately sync us experiencing problems. It will be back shortly"

But it isn't.

It seems as if the capability to sync with Exchange is permanently broken. Could this be something broken in the phone or something broken in the exchange server. My IT guy hates Android and isn't likely to be much help.

 

[blackdogAC]

I should add again..it seems just Exchange Calendar sync is broken. Email and Contacts seem to sync fine.

 

[telrod11]

Well that had the ring of authenticity to it. But it didn't work. When I go to settings.... accounts... exchange.....there is a message at the top "sync error". At the bottom if the page I get "unfortunately sync us experiencing problems. It will be back shortly"

But it isn't.

It seems as if the capability to sync with Exchange is permanently broken. Could this be something broken in the phone or something broken in the exchange server. My IT guy hates Android and isn't likely to be much help.

No issues here with my Exchange account and my Pure. This has to be specific to a change made server side from your guys....
You'll have to go through your Exchange guys to get this resolved...

 

[acejavelin]

I should add again..it seems just Exchange Calendar sync is broken. Email and Contacts seem to sync fine.

No issues here with my Exchange account and my Pure. This has to be specific to a change made server side from your guys....
You'll have to go through your Exchange guys to get this resolved...

I would have to agree with @telrod11, if two parts sync and the one doesn't, this is probably a server side issue. There has been no other reports of this in other forums either, so I don't think it's a widespread exchange update either... Whether he admits it or not, it's likely your it guy changed something.

Only other option to "prove" it's not on your end is factory reset, don't restore anything, and setup the account to see if it works.

EDIT: did you clear data on Calendar and Calendar Storage apps as well?

 

[winB]

I had this issue starting Friday, found a mail in my Samsung mail app where outlook was looking for approval to sync to the device instead of using the outlook app. Now that I approved the sync everything is work. See if you can find a email like that. Note it did not appear in my outlook inbox or on outlook.com.

 

[blackdogAC]

UPDATE: This has been a real PITA to diagnose and fix.
One problems is that there is an app on the device called Exchange Services. It’s part of the stock installed “apps” and cannot be deleted. I really do not think this app is helping us.
Part of my process was to remove the Exchange account from android system. Then, I tried to add the account via the third party calendar app I use (Business Calendar 2) . The app would not let me do this because it thought that the account was already installed on the device. (I had JUST removed it from android). So I’m thinking…what could possibly be “holding “ the account? And the only thing I could think of was my third party email app which I use strictly for Exchange email (Blue Mail). Sure enough, when I drilled down in to Blue Mail, there it was. The account had been deleted off the device in android settings but still resided in the app. So I deleted it off the app, and added it back via settings, and this time, business calendar app picked it up and synced. Then…about ten minutes later, the “Sync Error” “Unfortunately Sync has stopped. It will return shortly” message showed up again! BUT…the sync kept working even though the error continues to show up. I get calendar sync both ways.
Very time-consuming and troubling that in 2016 we still do not have reliable sync between android and MS Exchange.
IT guy says I and one other guy are only person in the company on android, zero problems with iphones. Not that I’m going there…but…