New Droid User: Extremely Frustrated, Did I Make a Mistake?

[JawKnee37]

In short, the primary reason I'm trying out the Droid to potentially replace my BB Tour was the ability to get my Exchange-based work email a lot sooner than my BB Tour which was on BIS (not BES). My other email of interest is Gmail, which I thought was a gimme with this phone.

I got my Droid activated last Thursday and for the most part, my Exchange-based email has been pretty good -- essentially instant. There have been a few times where it takes forever, but I haven't been paying too much attention to that because...

my Gmail, which as I understand should be instant push, is HORRIBLE! I've had plenty of times where the emails won't show up for 30 minutes to an hour. If I do a manual refresh, it will show.

I've come across threads in other forums with some users complaining about the same thing, but from several months ago.

Did I somehow set it up incorrectly? Or am I wrong that Gmail is push?

Latest test case: asked a friend to send me an email (which was from his Gmail account). 20 minutes had passed after it showed up in my Inbox but woludn't show up on the phone until I did a manual refresh. Gmail push has been horrible to say the least.

The phone blows my BB Tour away, but I'm not going to lie, this email thing is becoming a deal breaker.

Any thoughts? Anyone else with recent issues with Gmail push?

 

[solideliquid]

I'm not an android expert, but have you checked the Settings > Accounts and Sync > and check Background Data and Auto Sync?

Also in that menu, check out the settings for your username@gmail.com account and make sure everything in there (Sync Gmail) is checked.

 

[JawKnee37]

I'm not an android expert, but have you checked the Settings > Accounts and Sync > and check Background Data and Auto Sync?

Also in that menu, check out the settings for your Gmail account and make sure everything in there (Sync Gmail) is checked.

Yup, everything is set to sync. There have been a few times, that I get them instant, but that definitely has not been the norm!

 

[solideliquid]

Are you using the Gmail app or the Mail app?

 

[Duvi]

Don't worry, it's not just you or just the droid. I have the same issue with my Nexus One, but it's not a 20-30 minute delay! That's just insane. Mine can take up to 2-3 minutes.

Question: Do you have a Task Killer or Juice Defender installed? If so, delete them, wipe your device and set it up again. Even if you don't, I'd try that as well.

 

[JawKnee37]

I believe I'm using the Mail app. How can I confirm?

I have not intentionally installed any "task killer" apps. I did install some Astro file manager app (or something like that), and I think that has some sort of Task Manager functionality to it? However, my Gmail experience was like this before installing the aforementioned app.

Right now, I sent an email from my Hotmail account at 11:20 PM PST. It arrived in my Gmail Inbox 2 minutes later. Still not on my Droid yet...

 

[JawKnee37]

On a related note, I just instantly received an email on my work (i.e. Exchange) account. It was an automated message sent from one of our servers; so it wasn't a test email of any sort. That's awesome! It seems as if my experience is the opposite now LOL.

 

[Chaos5]

JawKnee, the Gmail app will look like the Gmail symbol the M through the letter, the regular mail app looks like a letter with @ on it. You should be using the Gmail one for instant Gmail.

 

[GenericMessage]

I'll have days where it'll delay some messages.


I doubt he is using the traditional "email" app instead of "gmail"

This is how I know; when you set up your phone, it requires a gmail account to be entered or created, once that is done, the phone sets up and its all neato'ness.
If That gmail account (if the one he is using for email) is the one he set the phone up with, should default to the gmail app.


So the real question is, are you using more than one email account on the phone?

 

[doogald]

JawKnee, the Gmail app will look like the Gmail symbol the M through the letter, the regular mail app looks like a letter with @ on it. You should be using the Gmail one for instant Gmail.

Just to add to that, the Mail app can be set up to access your gmail account, but it does not support PUSH mail for anything besides Exchange accounts. Everything else is set to poll on a schedule; the most frequent polling interval is five minutes.

You should really use the Gmail application for your Gmail account, particularly if you want push.

 

[bojowaggie]

I tried the gmail road and didn't care for it. I have had most success with exchange on my Droid..
I have from time to time when I am connected via WiFi I can see email delays for my exchange (which uses push).
But when it is connected through the VZW 3G network I see my email almost instantly.. or at least with in 2 or 3 minutes.

A little FYI, I do not have gmail as my email. I have my own domain.
I do not have gmail syncing with my phone at all. It is just on there for basically the market place..
All my contacts, mail and calendar sync through my exchange (who is set up with godaddy)

 

[aubiker]

I moved from BB to Droid a couple of weeks ago. No problems with Gmail or with exchange. Both are working perfectly.

 

[JawKnee37]

I'm only using 2 email accounts: the Exchange account and the Gmail account, which was set up as GenericMessage described above. So I'm using the Gmail app.

 

[GenericMessage]

I'm only using 2 email accounts: the Exchange account and the Gmail account, which was set up as GenericMessage described above. So I'm using the Gmail app.

So what email is lagging? The gmail through the gmail app, or the exchange email?

 

[Genetic_Bloom]

I had been having the same problems last week so it might just be a problem with the Gmail servers. Mine seems better now but you might just trying waiting it out to see if they improve themselves, mine did after 3 or 4 days.

 

[JawKnee37]

So what email is lagging? The gmail through the gmail app, or the exchange email?

I believe I've had some lag with my Exchange email, but I haven't monitored that account as closely as my GMail since Gmail has been atrocious for me.

 

[PJnc284]

When I first got the Droid in February, the gmail app was a little flakey. Sometimes it would be instant, others it would be delayed or I'd have to manually refresh it. After a couple weeks, it started working fine.

 

[GenericMessage]

I believe I've had some lag with my Exchange email, but I haven't monitored that account as closely as my GMail since Gmail has been atrocious for me.

Ok, well Exchange on the Droid is far from perfect, so don't expect a smooth ride there.


But the Gmail for some users was a bit laggy for a few days for some users (myself included), it has since corrected itself for me and for other users.


Is it still off for you?

 

[entwined82]

yeah I had a roughly 30 minute delay for a few days between emails landing on my phone and PC with gmail notifier. Its odd but it seems better now, in fact my Droid is getting emails before my notifier sees it.

 

[JawKnee37]

Ok, well Exchange on the Droid is far from perfect, so don't expect a smooth ride there.


But the Gmail for some users was a bit laggy for a few days for some users (myself included), it has since corrected itself for me and for other users.


Is it still off for you?

I got 2 last night, and those seem to be instant. I was going to say that I hadn't received any Gmail emails since last night, but I just logged on and I have one that hit my Inbox 20 minutes ago and it's not on my phone yet

Do note that I've mainly been connected to Wi-Fi. Could that be playing a role?