Gmail in Email app

[GammaGit]

Hi, I'm rather new to Android but slowly making progress. But here's a question that I haven't really found any clear answers. I have an LG Optimus One (Android 2.2), but I think this would be common to any phone...

There is an EMail app, and a GMail app. (I think these are standard for Android?) Ok, so the GMail app is obvious for my GMail account. I want to also access my Hotmail and my Work (exchange) accounts, looks like for those, I have to use the EMail app. Well, I would rather use just one app for all my email accounts, so, looks like I can just add my gmail account to the EMail app.

The GMail app seems to Push Gmail messages. The EMail app seems to push Work messages. But, when using the EMail app to set up Hotmail and Gmail accounts using the quick setup (as soon as I click "add account" it shows a list, including MS Exchange, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, Shaw, etc.), if I actually click those Hotmail or Gmail options, it ends up in a Pull situation.

From a little bit of easy searching, I found that I could get my Hotmail to Push messages, if I set it up by clicking MS Exchange (instead of Hotmail) then setting the server as m.hotmail.com. (instructions at How to setup Hotmail on Android Phones)

After a lot of harder searching, an iPod site seemed to suggest I could do the same for GMail by selecting MS Exchange and setting the server as m.google.com. Seems to work.

So this post/thread was partly to let others know how to get Hotmail and Gmail to Push using the EMail app, but also to ask... why have the default built-in "Hotmail" and "Gmail" options result in Pull email? And, why was it difficult to find discussion/instructions to set GMail as Exchange in order to Push? Is there something bad or frowned upon regarding this? There could well be some fundamentals I'm not aware of.

Thanks AndroidForums!

 

[Usta]

Since Gmail has a push feature and it can "fetch" email from other accounts, I simply use Gmail and let it fetch email from other email accounts. The advantage is that you have "almost" push functionality and don't have to use different clients.

 

[sitlet]

Since Gmail has a push feature and it can "fetch" email from other accounts, I simply use Gmail and let it fetch email from other email accounts. The advantage is that you have "almost" push functionality and don't have to use different clients.

Actually, you don't want to have your Gmail account fetch your other accounts. The reason is that the gmail servers will only pull emails from those accounts a few times an hour. What you want to do is forward your mail, FROM your other accounts, TO your gmail. That way you will get those emails within a few seconds.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Welcome to AF.com! I actually prefer a separate Gmail app, and a separate email app (I use k-9). That way I can segregate my truly important emails (Gmail emails typically) from junk emails (typically hotmail emails).

IMHO no other web mail is as good as Gmail, so I prefer the other lesser emails be separate altogether from my almighty Gmail.

 

[Usta]

Actually, you don't want to have your Gmail account fetch your other accounts. The reason is that the gmail servers will only pull emails from those accounts a few times an hour. What you want to do is forward your mail, FROM your other accounts, TO your gmail. That way you will get those emails within a few seconds.

You have a point there.
I simply chose the "fetch method", because the other email accounts are not important for me (so I don't mind a delay), and because this method combines all the emails (also the old once), and because it allows to reply as if the mail was sent from the original mail address.

 

[GammaGit]

Ok, thanks for the feedback. My GMail is my main account, but Work is Work. Hotmail is to provide to questionable sources when necessary. I'd like to keep the accounts separate, and like to access them all from one app, which my settings seem to have accomplished, but it's nice to know there are other options to achieve similar results.

I think I'll try K-9 mail, I've seen it recommended in a few places. Just, the list of apps to try out never ends