gmail search without internet

[Basappa]

Whenever I am without internet on my phone and if I want to search some text in the existing mails which I see in the gmail app, it wont search. It always says, 'No Connection' with the Retry button.

Is it too much of an expectation to search within the recent emails I see in the gmail app. It need not search entire gmail which is on the server.

Any ideas how to get over this?

-Basappa

 

[Deleted User]

The Gmail app is only a "view" of your emails held on the GMAIL main server; your emails are not actually downloaded onto your phone memory hence why you cannot search "offline". This is how the app can synch with your main gmail account without using huge amounts of memory.,

 

[Basappa]

Thank you Goreygirl for the reply. But if the mails are not actually 'downloaded' on the phone, how is it that I am able to see the emails and its content(only text though) when offline. I have last 60 days of emails synced on the phone(there is option to sync for more no of days too) and can see all the emails content. Where is this content from? I just want to search in those emails.

 

[Deleted User]

Gmail labs does an local caching to a certain degree to let you see some "offline" . .it was originally designed to allow you to keep using the service if your signal dropped out mid email etc. If you have them offline you should be able to "search" by using the "search" option in Menu (but it is likely you will only be able to search those cached to your phone rather than your full email history)?

 

[amlothi]

No, I don't think you can search the cached emails. My understanding is that the search function takes your search term and passes it to Google's servers. The actual searching is done server side.

No connection = no gmail search.

You'll notice that if you go into the Google Search application and go to Search settings, there isn't an option to allow search of Gmail or emails.

 

[Deleted User]

You'll notice that if you go into the Google Search application and go to Search settings, there isn't an option to allow search of Gmail or emails.

I was referring to the search option within the Gmail app itself but you're right.. it still won't allow you to search due to "no connection" although you an still view the cached emails "offline" (for me that seems to be the last 20 emails or so)

 

[amlothi]

I know what you were referring to. I was simply pointing out that, if offline emails were searchable, Google would have included that functionality in the Google Search app. (They make everything else searchable on your phone...)

 

[Basappa]

No, I don't think you can search the cached emails. My understanding is that the search function takes your search term and passes it to Google's servers. The actual searching is done server side.

No connection = no gmail search.

You'll notice that if you go into the Google Search application and go to Search settings, there isn't an option to allow search of Gmail or emails.

Thank you Goreygirl and amlothi.

There is an option to search 'Mail' in the Searchable Items list in Search settings but that seems to search the mails from pop etc. As you said rightly, if we are offline, we cannot search gmails. This does not really help especially when we are given the liberty to set the no of days of emails to sync or cache.

Is there any place where I can raise this as a request? or someone should have already noticed about this? Google could search the cache and can always say ' for more results, go online'. wondering what is stopping ..

 

[takeshi]

Think of what their core business is. They're not a free apps and services charity. Piping searches through their servers obviously benefits them.