Push/sync-support for iPhone - Page 4

cptlo306 · 8 Dec 2013, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glass

Once Fastmail has a calendar I'm going to need to be able to sync that. And right now I am missing the ability to sync the address book. And even if fastmail implements *dav support, my phone doesn't support CalDav or CardDav for non-gmail accounts so I will need EAS for it work.

It's worth it just to get instant email but that's not the only reason I need it.

Hopefully NuevaSync will support Fastmail CalDav and CardDav when they are released. Based on prior posts, I doubt we'll ever see Activesync directly from Fastmail.

Luzo · 8 Dec 2013, 09:54 PM

There are 3 iOS apps that may do the trick for you, the first is called Seed Mail (getseedmail.com by Mangrov Inc., China-based company), the second is Molto (moltoapp.com, by IncrediMail, US-based company), and the third is Evomail (evomail.io, by EvoMail Inc., US-based company). All three apps are free.

Seed Mail

Advantages:
(*) Push notifications (and it automatically detects server settings for FM)

(*) You can see both contacts and calendar from the app (so when FastMail releases CardDav and CalDav the app will get access to those)
(*) Sync with Dropbox, Box and Evernote. You can save any attachment to DropBox or Box.
(*) You can attach files from your iPhone, i.e. if I am on Pages (or any other app), you can click on "Open In" then "Seed Mail" and from there you can attach it to a new mail. Same as you would do with Mail.app (but this functionality is inexistent is any other mail app I know)

Inconvenients (for now):
(*) Seems there is a 2-min delay for push notifications.
(*) Similar to FastMail, the Calendar is "almost ready" (but it's too buggy).
(*) After I removed the app (and changed my password), a quick glance at the login log showed me that (5 hours after) it is still trying to access my account (failed logins each ~15mins), from several Japan based servers. Weird.

Molto

Advantages:
(*) Push notifications

(*) Gets photos of mail senders from Facebook.
(*) Molto beautiful

Inconvenients (for now):
(*) Less than 1-min delay for notifications
(*) Less features than Seed Mail
(*) No ability to have many from addresses (but your username is not necessarily your email so you still can have my-username@my-domain.com)

EvoMail was too buggy for me, about a month ago when I tested it. You may want to try it.

I think I will go for Molto.

Note: when you use third-party services to get push notifications (be it NuevaSync, Seed Mail, Molto or Evomail), they have to keep your password, so it's at your own risks...

mballas · 15 Dec 2013, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cptlo306

Hopefully NuevaSync will support Fastmail CalDav and CardDav when they are released. Based on prior posts, I doubt we'll ever see Activesync directly from Fastmail.

I have been very pleased with Nuevasync's trial version for pushing Fastmail to my iPhone. I am nit thrilled about spending 30 dollars annually in addition to my annual Fastmail charge, so it would really be convenient to bundle the fastmail charge with some option that guarantees faster mail arrival.

bytewise · 5 Jan 2014, 12:58 AM

I've been a paying fastmail user for the last 10 years, and I really need push email notifications on my iOS device. Personally, I don't care about calender/contact sync.

I'm more than willing to pay extra for ActiveSync. Not sure how much, but as an example: I would immediately upgrade from a "Full" to an "Enhanced" account (if Enhanced offered ActiveSync).

A very important note to everyone using other email apps or notification apps that seem to offer IMAP push on iOS: using these clients has "interesting" security implications, because with a few exceptions, all of these apps must store your email access credentials on the respective app developer's servers, because it's not possible to implement IMAP push directly in an iOS app. Instead, the IMAP push is received on their server, and from there the notification is pushed to iOS via Apple's push services. See this information regarding Sparrow ("No Pushing") (they tried to do it but were rejected by Apple).

It would be great to hear more news about this topic from the people at fastmail.

wakaba · 5 Jan 2014, 07:58 AM

Let me add to the chorus of fastmail users clamoring for activesync. I have a enhanced account, and I'd be perfectly happy to pay extra for activesync.

In fact, I am seriously considering moving away from fastmail to another provider _purely_ because of the lack of mobile sync capabilities, despite all of the other advantages fastmail has over competitors (plus the hassle of switching providers). I also have colleagues looking for a similar solution (I am in academia), and I would love to recommend fastmail, but I am unable to do so simply because of the lack of ios mobile sync.

It would also help to have some clarity about fastmail's plans regarding ios syncing. Is fastmail planning to wait until a syncing protocol that suits its taste appears before supporting mobile sync on ios? Or is there behind-the-scenes activity to attempt to implement _some_ syncing solution? I'm willing to wait, but if there are no concrete plans to implement syncing, then it would be difficult for me to stay.

neilj · 5 Jan 2014, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakaba

because of the lack of mobile sync capabilities.

Huh? IMAP syncs your email just as well as ActiveSync. We'll also soon be adding CardDAV and CalDAV support for syncing contacts and calendar on your mobile phone. The only thing we don't have is a mobile push protocol we support, so it may take up to 15 minutes for a new email to arrive. Unless you're using your email as an instant messaging service, I don't really see why this is a huge problem. Having said that, I expect us to release an app sometime this year based on our mobile webmail, which will then be able to support push notifications of new email.

Neil.

wakaba · 5 Jan 2014, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilj

Huh? IMAP syncs your email just as well as ActiveSync. We'll also soon be adding CardDAV and CalDAV support for syncing contacts and calendar on your mobile phone. The only thing we don't have is a mobile push protocol we support, so it may take up to 15 minutes for a new email to arrive. Unless you're using your email as an instant messaging service, I don't really see why this is a huge problem. Having said that, I expect us to release an app sometime this year based on our mobile webmail, which will then be able to support push notifications of new email.

Neil.

You're right, I'm abusing the term "sync" when I should instead be saying "push".

As for using email as an instant messaging system, that is in fact how I use it for many interactions, and I don't think this is a particularly unusual circumstance. After all, this thread is full of fastmail users clamouring for activesync support.

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to hear that push notifications may be coming soon. I assume that means there are no plans for activesync support (paid or unpaid)?

robn · 5 Jan 2014, 02:51 PM

Correct. We will not be doing ActiveSync support.

andrearp · 5 Jan 2014, 07:06 PM

it works fine for me; I currently sync it to Fastmail, for IMAP. Gmail, for contacts and calendar. So I "point" Apple and Microsoft WP8 devices to nuevasync, and everything seems to be ok. On my desktop, I use webmail, and Outlook for contacts and calendar; then, the final part, is gSyncit, a paid software that works fine to keep Outlook and Gmail contacts and calendars in Sync.

It may look complex, but it seems reliable - has been running for a couple of months; the only negative event I experienced is that my iPad lost the "synched" folder lists, and it came back to sync only "inbox"

I recommend backing up all contacts and calendars when beginning; I work with almost 4000 contacts, and have thousands of events in the calendar, as I have a software that saves phone calls as appointments in the Oulook calendar.

I will be happy to test whichever Sync solution Fastmail will be evaluating.

axiem · 6 Jan 2014, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilj

We'll also soon be adding CardDAV and CalDAV support for syncing contacts and calendar on your mobile phone.

As I understand CardDAV and CalDAV, that will allow us also to sync our Fastmail contacts with our desktop computers, right? That would ultimately, I think, work out better for my particular set of circumstances.

I do look forward to having CardDAV and CalDAV support.

Quote:

I expect us to release an app sometime this year based on our mobile webmail, which will then be able to support push notifications of new email.

Awesome! I look forward to seeing what you do with this!

krimlin · 6 Jan 2014, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilj

I expect us to release an app sometime this year based on our mobile webmail, which will then be able to support push notifications of new email.

Neil.

Time to celebrate!

I hope though, iOS will not be the only OS being thought of.

8 Dec 2013, 09:54 PM	#47
Luzo Essential Contributor Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: France Posts: 229	There are 3 iOS apps that may do the trick for you, the first is called Seed Mail (getseedmail.com by Mangrov Inc., China-based company), the second is Molto (moltoapp.com, by IncrediMail, US-based company), and the third is Evomail (evomail.io, by EvoMail Inc., US-based company). All three apps are free. Seed Mail Advantages: () Push notifications (and it automatically detects server settings for FM) () You can see both contacts and calendar from the app (so when FastMail releases CardDav and CalDav the app will get access to those) () Sync with Dropbox, Box and Evernote. You can save any attachment to DropBox or Box. () You can attach files from your iPhone, i.e. if I am on Pages (or any other app), you can click on "Open In" then "Seed Mail" and from there you can attach it to a new mail. Same as you would do with Mail.app (but this functionality is inexistent is any other mail app I know) Inconvenients (for now): () Seems there is a 2-min delay for push notifications. () Similar to FastMail, the Calendar is "almost ready" (but it's too buggy). () After I removed the app (and changed my password), a quick glance at the login log showed me that (5 hours after) it is still trying to access my account (failed logins each ~15mins), from several Japan based servers. Weird. Molto* Advantages: () Push notifications () Gets photos of mail senders from Facebook. () Molto* beautiful Inconvenients (for now): () Less than 1-min delay for notifications () Less features than Seed Mail () No ability to have many from addresses (but your username is not necessarily your email so you still can have my-username@my-domain.com) EvoMail* was too buggy for me, about a month ago when I tested it. You may want to try it. I think I will go for Molto. Note: when you use third-party services to get push notifications (be it NuevaSync, Seed Mail, Molto or Evomail), they have to keep your password, so it's at your own risks... Last edited by Luzo : 9 Dec 2013 at 01:45 AM. Reason: added molto and evomail

5 Jan 2014, 07:06 PM	#54
andrearp Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 35	Nuevasync... it works fine for me; I currently sync it to Fastmail, for IMAP. Gmail, for contacts and calendar. So I "point" Apple and Microsoft WP8 devices to nuevasync, and everything seems to be ok. On my desktop, I use webmail, and Outlook for contacts and calendar; then, the final part, is gSyncit, a paid software that works fine to keep Outlook and Gmail contacts and calendars in Sync. It may look complex, but it seems reliable - has been running for a couple of months; the only negative event I experienced is that my iPad lost the "synched" folder lists, and it came back to sync only "inbox" I recommend backing up all contacts and calendars when beginning; I work with almost 4000 contacts, and have thousands of events in the calendar, as I have a software that saves phone calls as appointments in the Oulook calendar. I will be happy to test whichever Sync solution Fastmail will be evaluating.

5 Jan 2014, 12:58 AM	#49
bytewise Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 1	I've been a paying fastmail user for the last 10 years, and I really need push email notifications on my iOS device. Personally, I don't care about calender/contact sync. I'm more than willing to pay extra for ActiveSync. Not sure how much, but as an example: I would immediately upgrade from a "Full" to an "Enhanced" account (if Enhanced offered ActiveSync). A very important note to everyone using other email apps or notification apps that seem to offer IMAP push on iOS: using these clients has "interesting" security implications, because with a few exceptions, all of these apps must store your email access credentials on the respective app developer's servers, because it's not possible to implement IMAP push directly in an iOS app. Instead, the IMAP push is received on their server, and from there the notification is pushed to iOS via Apple's push services. See this information regarding Sparrow ("No Pushing") (they tried to do it but were rejected by Apple). It would be great to hear more news about this topic from the people at fastmail.

5 Jan 2014, 07:58 AM	#50
wakaba Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 26	Let me add to the chorus of fastmail users clamoring for activesync. I have a enhanced account, and I'd be perfectly happy to pay extra for activesync. In fact, I am seriously considering moving away from fastmail to another provider _purely_ because of the lack of mobile sync capabilities, despite all of the other advantages fastmail has over competitors (plus the hassle of switching providers). I also have colleagues looking for a similar solution (I am in academia), and I would love to recommend fastmail, but I am unable to do so simply because of the lack of ios mobile sync. It would also help to have some clarity about fastmail's plans regarding ios syncing. Is fastmail planning to wait until a syncing protocol that suits its taste appears before supporting mobile sync on ios? Or is there behind-the-scenes activity to attempt to implement _some_ syncing solution? I'm willing to wait, but if there are no concrete plans to implement syncing, then it would be difficult for me to stay.

5 Jan 2014, 02:51 PM	#53
robn Master of the @ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 1,007 Representative of: Fastmail.fm	Correct. We will not be doing ActiveSync support.