Nexus 4: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

[mset]

When I first got my Nexus 4, I was having bad problems with Gmail, possibly related to WiFi. Nexus support came to the rescue and sent another phone, and I've been generally loving it, with a few minor issues.

However, for the last few weeks, a strange thing is happening, and it happens every day. I get up in the morning, turn the phone on, and either

a) My new Gmails don't load, or

b) When I open the Gmail app, I can see that it says 15 unread in bold at the top, but I can't actually see the new emails.

In both cases, I do not see the Gmail icon at the top of the screen which indicates new mail.

This is a new development, I've never seen it before. The weird part is, if I restart the phone, the emails show up every time! I have done this over the past few weeks and the emails never fail to show up as soon as I restart the phone. In addition, I use the native Android app to handle Hotmail and it's working fine.

I did some searches to find any reference to this specific issue but came up empty. Has anyone see this? Any suggestions? It's really just an annoyance more than anything else, but it would be nice to fix it. I have tested the Gmail function and once it's up and running, it works throughout the day.

Thanks, will check back after 3 p.m. EST on Friday for any responses.

 

[srkmagnus]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

I haven't heard of this issue before. You can check to see that your Google account is set to sync with Gmail. Let us know if the problem continues.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[frenziedfemale]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

Maybe it is taking a long time to connect to WiFi once you turn it on? Do they show up if you leave it for a minute or so after it turns on?

 

[mset]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

I haven't heard of this issue before. You can check to see that your Google account is set to sync with Gmail. Let us know if the problem continues.

Thanks. As I mentioned, the device can sync with Gmail. It just can't do it on the first start-up.

 

[mset]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

Maybe it is taking a long time to connect to WiFi once you turn it on? Do they show up if you leave it for a minute or so after it turns on?

I thought of that, since the first issue I had with a Nexus 4 had to do with WiFi. I let it sit for 30 minutes and they didn't show up. All other phone functions are working - both on WiFi and over 3G.

The moment I restart, the Gmail shows up. In addition, I should have mentioned that I have the native Android app handling my Hotmail and it works fine on initial start-up.

Maybe the Gmail app is corrupt? Is it possible to reinstall it, I wonder...

 

[srkmagnus]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

I thought of that, since the first issue I had with a Nexus 4 had to do with WiFi. I let it sit for 30 minutes and they didn't show up. All other phone functions are working - both on WiFi and over 3G.

The moment I restart, the Gmail shows up. In addition, I should have mentioned that I have the native Android app handling my Hotmail and it works fine on initial start-up.

Maybe the Gmail app is corrupt? Is it possible to reinstall it, I wonder...

You can open System Settings > Applications > sort by all then select Gmail. Uninstall updates and see if that helps. I'm pretty sure it's a system level app, so deleting it is not possible without root.



Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[mset]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

You can open System Settings > Applications > sort by all then select Gmail. Uninstall updates and see if that helps. I'm pretty sure it's a system level app, so deleting it is not possible without root.

Thanks, I'll try that. It's a bit disappointing that I can't do something as simple as uninstalling an app without rooting the phone. This is kind of why I switched from an iPhone - because I thought I would have more control over the OS!

 

[srkmagnus]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

Thanks, I'll try that. It's a bit disappointing that I can't do something as simple as uninstalling an app without rooting the phone. This is kind of why I switched from an iPhone - because I thought I would have more control over the OS!

Most, if not all, apps that shipped with your phone were installed on the /system partition of the device. You don't have access to this unless you root. Most every other system file that controls the device is saved there, and it's off limits to the user to prevent deletion or modification to those files, which could affect the performance of the phone.

 

[frenziedfemale]

Have you tried a different email app to see if the issue persists? Lots of free ones on the play store. I use mail droid.

 

[mset]

Re: Must start phone (exactly) twice to get Gmail

Most, if not all, apps that shipped with your phone were installed on the /system partition of the device. You don't have access to this unless you root. Most every other system file that controls the device is saved there, and it's off limits to the user to prevent deletion or modification to those files, which could affect the performance of the phone.

Well, I have to thank you! As a result of your post yesterday, I decided to finally try to root the phone. I used the amazing Wugfresh Toolkit and got it done!

Of course I then went ahead and installed Cyanogen and then put the Franco Kernel in, which was apparently a mistake because the two aren't compatibe. I am currently over at XDA trying to deal with that issue, but I can report that rooting the phone has solved the problem! At least, this morning when I turned it on, the Gmail popualted like it used to!

So thanks for giving me the impetus to get it done.

 

[mset]

Have you tried a different email app to see if the issue persists? Lots of free ones on the play store. I use mail droid.

Yes, I forgot to mention until post #5 in this thread that the native Android app was handling my Hotmail and there was no issue. Only the Gmail app was malfunctioning.

Now that I'm in root world, things have changed : )