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Pushing your Gmail vs. the Gmail BlackBerry app
Posted by Joe on March 12, 2008
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I’m a rampant Gmail user. Yeah, the kind of guy who has it open all day long, like some people would have their Outlook account. Of course, the added bonus is the Google Talk feature, but that’s for another day. Right now I’d like to talk about a few different ways which you can get your Gmail on your BlackBerry. This is a personal journey I took, and after actually reading a few short, short articles, I found that it shouldn’t have taken that long at all. So, before I bore you, let’s start at the beginning: My first experience syncing up Gmail on my BlackBerry.
Basic sync
The first thing I did when I got home with my 8830 was to add Gmail to my email list. I use it all the damn time, so it makes sense to have my mail pushed there. So I opened my Gmail account, went to “settings,” and then “Forwarding and POP/IMAP.” Whether it was right or not, I enabled both POP and IMAP.
Then I went to my BIS login and clicked “add email.” After tapping in my Gmail address and password, it gave me a confirmation. And that was that. Really that simple. Now all of my Gmail messages passed through my BB.
Problem is, that got a bit annoying. All of my Gmail was hitting both Inboxes, no matter what I did. That is, if I read it through my web browser, like I normally do, it would still show up as unread on the BlackBerry — thus causing it to blink. And the blinking kinda gets annoying after a while, so I’d constantly be going in to mark these messages as read.
Another complaint I filed was that my outgoing messages would show up in my mailbox as new messages, whether I sent them through Gmail from my BB or my browser. That’s another annoyance, though it presents no real intensive problems. I even set “Hide Sent Messages” to “Yes,” figuring that would solve it. Not so much.
The final one is a bit less annoying, but something to talk about nonetheless. I have certain messages that automatically archive into a label, so they don’t hit my main Inbox on Gmail. These messages, unfortunately, hit my Inbox on my BlackBerry. Not a huge inconvenience, but I archive and mark my Borders coupons as read for a reason.
So it looks like the basic push email feature comes with some caveats. Most of them are annoyances, so it’s not like I was throwing my BlackBerry through the wall or anything. But still, there has to be something better…
The Gmail Application
Finally, frustrated, I downloaded the Gmail application. As I said before, I didn’t want to. I absolutely love the convenience of push email…I just don’t like it when I’ve got to open up items or mark them as read on multiple devices.
The Gmail app is really everything you could hope for…except one thing, which I’ll get to in a minute. It’s got the basic Gmail display, giving you your last 10 or so messages. You can explore a bit deeper, too, delving into your labels and other folders. All of your contacts are available, too.
What I like most about the application is that nearly every function of Gmail is available. I can search messages, mark items as read, star them, archive them, slap them with a label, or even my favorite, report it as spam. It even has your unread message count under the icon, which is a huge bonus.
However, it doesn’t flash. That’s my only real complaint about the application. Yes, it’s small. Yes, it’s rather petty, too. But I quite like being able to glance across the room at my BB, or even just pull it out of my pocket, and see a flashing red light telling me I have new messages.
Still, it’s far better than the original method of push Gmail I had pursued. But there’s one thing I left unchecked:
IMAP pushing through Gmail
Okay, so I was in the middle of where I wanted to be. On the one hand was the push email which I enjoyed so much. But it didn’t reconcile the way I wanted it (yes, I had all my reconciling options set correctly). On the other hand was the Gmail application, the only problem with which was the notification process.
And so I checked out Google’s instructions for IMAP syncing on the BlackBerry. Good stuff, I gotta say. The steps weren’t exactly as listed — it seems that this is meant for older BlackBerrys, as the instructions refer to the jog wheel.
So I followed those instructions. The key, by the way, is not entering in your password at first. If you do enter it, you’re going to be set up with the original sync I talked about above…and if you’re like me you don’t want that. After doing everything, including making sure the port was set right, I started sending out some test emails.
If I read a message on my BlackBerry now, it is marked as read in my Gmail inbox. So when I’m on the road, I won’t have to see a ton of messages I’ve already read once I get home. The messages I have set to filter in some way or another don’t hit the Inbox on my BlackBerry, which is nice. So only things that hit my main Inbox are pushed to my BB.
The only problem that still persists is when I read something in my browser, it still shows up as new on the BlackBerry. But since the other issues were cleaned up by this, I’m rather satisfied.
Verdict
After spending a week with each, I’m putting my vote in for the push version of Gmail. I’m going to keep the Gmail application installed. Though it might be redundant, it does have some features that are lacking in my push email. I can use the application to change settings and organize my messages…if I so choose. But I can still use the convenience of push email, with a minor inconvenience attached.
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27 Comments ↓
Joe, I wonder how much research you did on the filtering thing and POP push of GMail. You can setup a simple filter to stop the sent items from returning each time (which has to do with how GMail strings messages).
I know there are several articles out there explaining about how to this if you want to give it another try.
By the way, Yahoo Mail does have 2-way sync with mail. No matter where it’s read it is marked as read in both locations. Very nice compared to Gmail.
Thanks, Dave. As I said, I’ve been using it through the IMAP instructions, which eliminates the sent messages problem, along with the other ones I mentioned.
Yeah I was having similar issues although I didn’t get the imap working. I just forward it to my Blackberry email now because it’s the fastest. I do have the gmail app on my bb but only for searching of old emails.
Joe, as a avid GMail user and a new blackberry owner I feel your pain and I too have your identical set-up.
But I discovered one thing in regards to “unwanted” messages showing up on your BB if they were set to “archive” in your GMail….
I got around this by setting up a web BIS account with my provider (you have to do it from the phone) and going into the filters for my BIS email and filtering any message you do not want to hit your BB (basically mirroring your gmail filters)
It’s not as advanced filtering as GMail but it works to keep “unwated” email out of your Push email.
When you say that gmail doesn’t flash, I’m assuming the new email notification that causes the led to flash? I do have an entry for gmail in the custom profile that I use - wouldn’t setting that to flash for repeat notification be what you’re looking for?
I do have it turned off on my 7130 because of all the non-priority email that my gmail account gets, so can’t speak to if it works :)
“However, it doesn’t flash…telling me I have new messages.” Hi Joe - if you go to the settings pages on the Gmail Application you can turn on new mail notification.
Another complaint I filed was that my outgoing messages would show up in my mailbox as new messages, whether I sent them through Gmail from my BB or my browser. That�s another annoyance, though it presents no real intensive problems. I even set �Hide Sent Messages� to �Yes,� figuring that would solve it. Not so much.
Your fix can be found here
The gmail app that I currently use on my BlackBerry does notifications… You have to enable it in the settings of the app, and then go to your Profile(s) and edit the newly listed “gmail - new mail” option to your liking.
It’s still not exactly push, but you get all the features of gmail, and you still get notified. The trick is you have to leave the app running.
Ever tried of signing into gmail on your BlackBerry Browser (http://mail.google.com/) and checking off “Remember me on this computer” so you never have to type your username or password againg.
Then just check your mail, minimize the browser (Press end or “D”) and anytime you want to view your mail simply restore the browser and hit refresh (Hit “R” to refresh also). Beautiful Gmail the way it was meant, on your BlackBerry Browser!
Tips :
Bookmark the Gmail Inbox for faster access. When asked to view in mobile mode, choose view in HTML with no JavaScript. View Gmail like on a PC!!
Article on how to configure the BlackBerry Browser so it renders and displays websites like a PC: http://core.profusehost.net/archives/blackberry-tips-and-tricks/2008-79-tips-tricks-a-howto-on-the-blackberry-browser.html
I use Gmail on my BlackBerry as well. Let me tell you how to fix your problems, if you still have them.
I use push email as well, because the Gmail app not only doesn’t blink, but it takes longer to notify you of new messages.
To avoid your ’sent’ messages showing up in your BLACKBERRY inbox, first go to your BIS site and log in and create a filter for your BlackBerry to block any incoming messages from your OWN gmail address. Next, to avoid your sent messages showing up as new ones in your Gmail inbox, create a filter in your gmail settings to automatically delete any messages coming from your own email address.
Do this and you should continue to receive push gmail to your BlackBerry without the annoyances or receiving your sent messages.
The gmail app is nice, but like I said push email comes immediately and the app takes a few minutes after an email is actually received to notify you.
Great review.
BTW, Google “apps for your domain” version of gmail doesn’t work on the Gmail Blackberry app.
Thanks, Rick. And that’s crap re: the “apps for your domain.” I’ve just started experimenting with that, and it’s a disappointment to know that I can’t use it on my BB. D’oh.
your own domain email hosted by Google works for BB just that it’s not the same Gmail application.
Point your BB browser to this address and download Mail by Google (not gmail). Make sure to write in the username @yourdomain.com too.
http://m.google.com/a
if you also use the calendar, you can download the sync application between google calendar and your BB
http://m.google.com/sync
cheers,
b
I miss the ability to archive messages using imap and blackberry. I know on iphone they can set the delete somehow so that instead of deleting the message is archived. I rather have that then deleting the message on the gmail account. Any ideas?
Hey all (esp Adam)
How do I “go to your BIS site and log in and create a filter for your BlackBerry to block any incoming messages from your OWN gmail address”.
Thanks for any help!
Bill,
When you log into your BIS account, you’ll see your email addresses listed. Next to the address, you’ll see an icon for filters. You can set it up through there. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to do this on my device. Looks like the BIS login is the only way, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I haven’t been able to login to my BIS via the Web for about a month now.
[...] third party apps, but it’s still definitely a factor. It took 20 or 30 seconds to load up my Gmail application. This is only an initial lag, though. It seems that when I go back to the application after the [...]
Hi
That is fun because I had the exact same problems and I took the exact same resolutions.
I know have my gmail mails in push (connecting throught IMAP) going to my Blackberry. Reading mails on my BB make them as read on my Gmail , sent emails are only appearing in my IMAP/Sent folder and the deletion seems to work fine as well. Life’s _almost_ perfect.
But I still have the same problem as you, all the mails I read on my Gmail interface are not marked as read on my BB so I have to read them twice.
Is there any way to make the BB trying to “refresh” to the imap server ?
How are you doing actually ? Do you let all your messages as “unread” waiting for the expiration date ? ;-)
Cheers
Ok, after several tests it seems that archiving my mails on the Gmail interface are deleting them on my blackberry so I don’t see them anymore. That is a first step … but still looking for something better.
Any ideas ?
Thank you, Adam! I just got a new blackberry (Pearl 8120) and was going crazy because all of my sent email was showing up in my inbox as if I had sent it to myself. I had triple checked every setting and was about to return the phone, when I saw your message re creating filters.
We shouldn’t have to do that, but if it works and keeps my sanity….!
For some reason the filters don’t work for me. If I put a filter to filter out myname@gmail.com when it is in the FROM field, it filters out emails that people send to myname@gmail.com. However I have a myname@knology.net email that is forward to my gmail account. It still gets sent to the phone. When I removed the filter, I start getting emails again. So it is like the filter is filtering out myname@gmail.com if it is in the To or From field (even though I only have From selected in the drop down menu).
I found out the gmail mobile application was messing up blackberry getting the messages from gmail. So unfortunatley I had to remove it. However I really like the Imap soluction prevented here, but the only issue I have is that if I compose a message from my BB and send it, the message does not show up anyway in my gmail account. So there is no record of the sent message except in my phone. I guess I could do a BCC on every sent message, but that isn’t really a clean approach either.
I must be doing something wrong. My 8820 has a profile option to ring/flash/vibrate on mew gmail messages. But it never works. In fact, new messages don’t even appear in my Gmail inbox (I am using the gmail app) unless I manually hit refresh. *sigh*
Hi Shane,
I have the same problem that the sent messages from BB don’t appear on the sent messages of Gmail. Did you find a solution for it?
also another question is relating to yahoo but i’m not sure if this is the right thread but i couldn’t find any other thread relating to it.
To keep an archive of sent mail I enabled the Auto BCC on my gmail account in BIS. I then setup a filter in gmail that looks for my email in the from address and contains “Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry” to apply a BB Sent Mail label. This doesn’t integrate with your “real” sent mail on gmail, but as long as I have a copy I’m happy. I hope this helps some people.
Hi, So I tried to use the filter and filter out all the sent messages that pop up on my blackberry from using gmail, but when I create the filter, it seems to block all emails to my blackberry. Why is this? Does anyone know what i’m supposed to do so that I can recieve emails but still not have to deal with all the sent messages cluttering my inbox?
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