Fastmail iOS App stops triggering iOS Mail App updates

mballas · 3 Jun 2016, 02:12 AM

Every few months, the Fastmail IOS app continues to receive mail and update its badge counter, but fails to trigger the iOS Mail app to update. The iOS Mail App will update its mail and counter only when I actually enter the app. If I erase the iOS Mail App and restart it, then the process completes itself, but this is an annoying and tedious task since it requires re-entry of all my e-mail aliases in the iOS App. Is there a way to prevent the failure of the Fastmail app from triggering the update of the Mail App?

BritTim · 3 Jun 2016, 06:11 AM

It feels as if there is a problem with iOS Mail that is independent of the Fastmail iOS App. They really should not be interacting with each other. As a matter of interest, though, why do you want to use both? It would seem more efficient to use one or the other.

mballas · 3 Jun 2016, 02:21 PM

There are several reasons to use the iOS Mail App:
It is easier to read on a phone
It can receive and send mail from FM but also from Apple, Outlook, Gmail, etc
It is a bit easier to send attachments than FM app

The main drawback of receiving FM mail using the iOS Mail App is it's inability to push mail. Before the FM App was introduced you had to use Exchange to accomplish push downloading. The FM App when it works properly facilitates almost instant parity of downloading to the Apple client. Also, The FM App can update the spam database, and I don't think iOS App does. Of course the best way to access FM settings on an iOS device is via the FM App.

Cory · 3 Jun 2016, 02:25 PM

The FM App and the iOS Mail App are not connected, they act completely independently of each other.

I would recommend deleting your Fastmail account from the iOS Mail App and re-adding it. However you will be doing this at your own risk so make sure you have your email properly backed up. You can find instructions here for setting the account back up after you have deleted it. https://www.fastmail.com/help/clients/iphone.html#email

Make sure you change the account from Fetch to Push in the iOS settings after you re-add it.

mballas · 3 Jun 2016, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cory

The FM App and the iOS Mail App are not connected, they act completely independently of each other.

I would recommend deleting your Fastmail account from the iOS Mail App and re-adding it. However you will be doing this at your own risk so make sure you have your email properly backed up. You can find instructions here for setting the account back up after you have deleted it. https://www.fastmail.com/help/clients/iphone.html#email

Make sure you change the account from Fetch to Push in the iOS settings after you re-add it.

Perhaps you should read my initial post where I stated why erasing and reinstalling the iOS Mail App every few weeks or months is a tedious process if you have multiple FM aliases. This is even truer if you own several iOS devices.

mballas · 3 Jun 2016, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cory

The FM App and the iOS Mail App are not connected, they act completely independently of each other.

Make sure you change the account from Fetch to Push in the iOS settings after you re-add it.

The two apps surely interact in some way, since without the FM App, the iOS Mail App is incapable of executing the Push function

BritTim · 3 Jun 2016, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mballas

The two apps surely interact in some way, since without the FM App, the iOS Mail App is incapable of executing the Push function

I have multiple customers where Push is working without the FM App being installed.

I guess it is just possible that the version of iOS you use has some common library for iOS Mail and iOS FM App. However, as the FM App is mainly based on the browser, this seems unlikely.

Which version of iOS do you have installed? Is there anything special about the iOS Mail App version?

mballas · 3 Jun 2016, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BritTim

I have multiple customers where Push is working without the FM App being installed.

Which version of iOS do you have installed? Is there anything special about the iOS Mail App version?

Push works fine with the iOS App for other services like iCloud but to my knowledge it has never worked for FM until the FM App was introduced.

I am using the latest version of iOS 9.3.2 on my mini Pad 3 and iPhone 6S.

Cory · 3 Jun 2016, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mballas

The two apps surely interact in some way, since without the FM App, the iOS Mail App is incapable of executing the Push function

It is not required for push. You do not need to have the FM App installed.

Pfolson · 4 Jun 2016, 12:37 AM

The FastMail apps were introduced in November 2014: https://blog.fastmail.com/2014/11/12...now-available/.

Push for the IOS Mail App was introduced in July 2015: https://blog.fastmail.com/2015/07/17...e-in-ios-mail/

mballas · 4 Jun 2016, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pfolson

The FastMail apps were introduced in November 2014: https://blog.fastmail.com/2014/11/12...now-available/.

Push for the IOS Mail App was introduced in July 2015: https://blog.fastmail.com/2015/07/17...e-in-ios-mail/

Thank you. I must have missed the significance of the second announcement. The first one required the FM App for push.

That still leaves me with my original question. Why does push stop working after a few weeks or months unless I erase and then reinstall Fastmail within the iOS Mail App?

BritTim · 4 Jun 2016, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mballas

Thank you. I must have missed the significance of the second announcement. The first one required the FM App for push.

That still leaves me with my original question. Why does push stop working after a few weeks or months unless I erase and then reinstall Fastmail within the iOS Mail App?

There have been occasional reports of push for iOS Mail App stopping working for some users. In most cases, the problem seems to clear itself after a period of time. I do not think the reasons for this issue have ever been satisfactorily explained. You may want to contact support to see if they have an explanation. If so, I would also like to know the reason, though my own customers have so far been lucky enough to be unaffected.

horatio8 · 10 Jun 2016, 01:38 AM

I frequently have problems with push of my Fastmail accounts to the iOS mail app stalling. In addition, the unread folder badge in the iOS mail app doesn't always update showing unread messages after all have been read. A restart of the mail app seems to temporarily solve the problem.

mballas · 10 Jun 2016, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horatio8

A restart of the mail app seems to temporarily solve the problem.

Once push stops working, it will not resume unless I delete and reinstall the iOS Mail app. Also, when it stops working on one device it also fails on my other iOS devices.

3 Jun 2016, 02:12 AM	#1
mballas Essential Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Denton, TX Posts: 346	Fastmail iOS App stops triggering iOS Mail App updates Every few months, the Fastmail IOS app continues to receive mail and update its badge counter, but fails to trigger the iOS Mail app to update. The iOS Mail App will update its mail and counter only when I actually enter the app. If I erase the iOS Mail App and restart it, then the process completes itself, but this is an annoying and tedious task since it requires re-entry of all my e-mail aliases in the iOS App. Is there a way to prevent the failure of the Fastmail app from triggering the update of the Mail App?

3 Jun 2016, 06:11 AM	#2
BritTim The "e" in e-mail Join Date: May 2003 Location: mostly in Thailand Posts: 3,095	It feels as if there is a problem with iOS Mail that is independent of the Fastmail iOS App. They really should not be interacting with each other. As a matter of interest, though, why do you want to use both? It would seem more efficient to use one or the other.

3 Jun 2016, 02:21 PM	#3
mballas Essential Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Denton, TX Posts: 346	There are several reasons to use the iOS Mail App: It is easier to read on a phone It can receive and send mail from FM but also from Apple, Outlook, Gmail, etc It is a bit easier to send attachments than FM app The main drawback of receiving FM mail using the iOS Mail App is it's inability to push mail. Before the FM App was introduced you had to use Exchange to accomplish push downloading. The FM App when it works properly facilitates almost instant parity of downloading to the Apple client. Also, The FM App can update the spam database, and I don't think iOS App does. Of course the best way to access FM settings on an iOS device is via the FM App.

3 Jun 2016, 02:25 PM	#4
Cory Essential Contributor Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 459	The FM App and the iOS Mail App are not connected, they act completely independently of each other. I would recommend deleting your Fastmail account from the iOS Mail App and re-adding it. However you will be doing this at your own risk so make sure you have your email properly backed up. You can find instructions here for setting the account back up after you have deleted it. https://www.fastmail.com/help/clients/iphone.html#email Make sure you change the account from Fetch to Push in the iOS settings after you re-add it.

4 Jun 2016, 12:37 AM	#10
Pfolson Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 490	The FastMail apps were introduced in November 2014: https://blog.fastmail.com/2014/11/12...now-available/. Push for the IOS Mail App was introduced in July 2015: https://blog.fastmail.com/2015/07/17...e-in-ios-mail/

10 Jun 2016, 01:38 AM	#13
horatio8 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 112	I frequently have problems with push of my Fastmail accounts to the iOS mail app stalling. In addition, the unread folder badge in the iOS mail app doesn't always update showing unread messages after all have been read. A restart of the mail app seems to temporarily solve the problem.