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iPhone Tip #21
Google has added IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) support some time ago in Gmail. When using IMAP for your email, you can sync with the mail server allowing you to archive you mail and keep you sanity if you get a lot of mail. Simply put when you delete or read a mail message on your iPhone that status is updated if you go there with your desktop computer later. POP3 (Post Office Protocol) mail all that really happens is that all your mail is sent to your iPhone and no status or syncing takes place.
So setting up Gmail IMAP to use on your iPhone is a good idea.
Here’s how:
First delete the Gmail account from your iPhone if you already set it up using POP using the standard Gmail setup on the iPhone.
Go to Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar. Under Accounts, click on your Gmail account, scroll to the bottom, and click Delete Account.
Now lets get ready to set up an IMAP Gmail account. First lets make sure your Gmail account has IMAP enabled. Log into your Gmail account (using your computer) Go to -> Settings (at top right) -> Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
Make sure IMAP is enabled. If not enable it and Save Changes.
Now the rest is easy and it is all done on your iPhone. Go to Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar. Under Accounts, click on your Add Account choose “Other” menu, NOT Gmail option.
Make sure that IMAP tab is highlighted. Add Host Name imap.gmail.com. User Name is your full Gmail address, including ‘@gmail.com.’ Note: Google Apps users, enter your full address in the format ‘username@your_domain.com’
Set the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP), Host Name is smtp.gmail.com and tap Save.
Your Gmail IMAP Settings
Incoming Settings
Use SSL: ON
Authentication: password
Server Port: 993
Outgoing Settings
Use SSL: ON
Authentication: Password
Server Port: 587
Check out the video for a walkthrough of this set up:
The iPhone’s little trashcan icon will archive your mail. You might notice that messages you archive on your phone are actually being added to a new “Deleted Messages” label in your Gmail account, but they’re right in “All Mail” and searchable, just the way you probably want them.
i’m having a problem once i try to add a new account: i click “other” instead of gmail and then the “add account” has no tabs at the top and no place for me to put my host name and everything under description.
i went ahead and followed these steps and now i don’t have any email address on my iphone. i can set it up again but i wish this tutorial added alternatives or something, because i was really looking forward to finally having gmail work better for me.
@ erin:
Suggestion: Make sure you are running the latest iPhone firmware. It you are and it does not have a place to add information, you might consider a restore on your iPhone.