Exchange in WP8 vs. iOS

[TripsG]

I'm sure this is a first world problem but it's one that bugged me when I got my Lumia 900 a year ago (I gave it back when I realized they would not have an upgrade) and it is still bugging me with my new Lumia 920.

I have been on some version of iOS since the original iPhone, as well as the first generation iPad, and have always been happy with how it handled Exchange for my work email. But I wanted more out of my phone/tablet as it interacts with the rest of my work life, which is all Windows based.

So far my new WP is awesome in every way and I am very happy, but I'm wondering about an "action" delay I see when I read, reply or file an email on my 920.

Example:
I am at my work computer and have my iPhone and iPad sitting on my desk
A new email comes in to my desktop Outlook, iPhone and iPad
I pick up my iPhone and delete the message
I can look at my desktop AND my iPad and watch them both delete within 5 seconds, usually quicker

On my Lumia this doesn't happen. I can read, delete or file the message on the phone and it can take up to 10 minutes to do that function on my computer. And the same happens in reverse (I can read, delete or file a message in Outlook, or Live.com for that matter), and it won't go away from the phone for quite a while.

Notifications of a meeting happen instantaneously on the iOS ecosystem but not on the WP/Windows.

I'm curious if I have a setting wrong or if there is some way to make this happen faster. I am often walking around my shop doing these tasks on my 920 and come back to emails that I thought I had dealt with still sitting on my desktop. Again, first world problems but it's a bit annoying that the ecosystem I chose, the one that should work flawlessly from the creators of said ecosystem, is actually less user friendly than the rival company's way of handling it.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

 

[fardream]

I think the behavior of the email is by-design. An explicit sync on the phone might help

 

[TripsG]

By "explicit sync" I'm assuming you mean to manually push the refresh button. I find myself doing this but feel I shouldn't have to as the system should know when to do a push based on me doing an action on one of the various systems. iOS handles this brilliantly. Other than battery life I can't think of another reason this would work this way with WP.

 

[mparker]

Is the 920 using POP or IMAP?

 

[kbilly70]

I have two Exchange accounts for work on my phone. Mine performs similar to what you describe in iOS - as soon as it popups in my inbox at my desktop my phone dings that I have an email. I don't have delay with deletion either.

It may be a setting in Exchange itself or a Group Policy on the server. You might try checking with the system admin for your domain.

 

[TripsG]

@mparker...I set it up as an Exchange on the phone so I believe it did it all as IMAP? I don't remember giving it any special configuration other than what it chose to do.

@kbilly70...It's the only thing this phone does that drives me nuts. I can't see why it would handle this differently than my iPhone. I'll talk to Admin but my sense is the response will be "It shouldn't be doing that", which is still my favorite and most consistent response from an IT professional...which is then followed by my appropriately snarky response "Ya think?"...

I guess I'm just bound to be frustrated by this. Still love the phone and the ecosystem and can't wait for my Surface.

 

[ousooner314]

TripsG: I have the same frustration regarding delayed syncing of email deletions and moving emails from Inbox to sub-folders. The only work-around is to manually sync each time I perform either operation. Please let us know what you find out from your Exchange admin. I would love to have my device immediately sync after any operation performed.

 

[ousooner314]

kbilly70: Does yours instantly sync when you delete emails from the device? Mine syncs instantly on any changes made on Outlook (or Exchange OWA). But deletions (or moving emails) on the device doesn't show up on Outlook (or OWA) unless I manually sync the phone.

 

[jimski]

No exchange server here, but my Hotmail/Live push accounts don't sync with my desktop till; a.) a new message arrives which generates a sync or, b.) I manually sync. Same for updating contacts, calendar, etc. This is done to conserve energy and not sure if it can be overridden.

Why don't you try forcing yourself (as painful as it may be) to manually sync for a day to prove that is the primary issue, eliminating server side issues. Then at least you could petition Microsoft to add an option to "sync immediately".
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[kbilly70]

@Trips @ousooner Mine does instantly sync when I delete emails from the device. I delete it on the device and within 10-20 seconds it is gone from Outlook on my desktop.

I spoke with my system admin and described the issue. He recommended looking at Outlook itself as he didn't think there was an Exchange ActiveSync rule or Group Policy that would cause the delay. We are using Outlook 2010, so in 2010 he said to go to the Send/Receive tab and under Send/Receive groups choose Define Send/Receive Groups. Under the settings for "All Accounts", he recommends changing the schedule automatic send/receive to 5 minutes or less. He thinks this might help but told me he will get into Exchange and Group Policy to see what he can find. I'll report back with what he comes up with.

I also wanted to mention we are on Exchange 2010.

 

[iamtim]

I just tested this by sending an email from my Gmail account to my Exchange account (Exchange Server 2010, Outlook 2010). It showed up in Outlook (and Windows 8 Mail, incidentally) and on my 8X super fast. I deleted it on the 8X and waited... it did not delete in Outlook (or in Windows 8 Mail) until I did an explicit sync on the 8X. So yeah, you're right.

I think this is because of the EAS settings on the phone; it's set to download new content (meaning sync) "as items arrive" (which I believe means on the server). Since deleting an item isn't an item arriving, it doesn't trigger the sync. I'll bet that if I changed my settings to "every 15 minutes", the message would delete on Outlook at that 15 minute mark.

Looks like a bit of an oversight in the WP8 mail app.

 

[tk-093]

It's just the way it works. I believe it was done to conserve battery. Things you delete on the phone do not automatically push back up to the server. It was like that on WP7 so maybe it's one of those things they put on a back burner on WP8 to update/fix? It would be nice if there was an option to make it work faster if you wanted to.

 

[uktivo]

+1 for the same issue.

I have an HTC andriod one x and that works just dandy... I also have an iphone and that too syncs nicely with exchange. Surely this isn't beyond MS abilities to get this right..

Is there a way to report bugs and issues like this to Nokia or MS?

 

[uktivo]

I think this is because of the EAS settings on the phone; it's set to download new content (meaning sync) "as items arrive" (which I believe means on the server). Since deleting an item isn't an item arriving, it doesn't trigger the sync. I'll bet that if I changed my settings to "every 15 minutes", the message would delete on Outlook at that 15 minute mark.

Looks like a bit of an oversight in the WP8 mail app.

Yes, I too have just done this test. If I read / delete a email on my phone, my outlook inbox does not reflect the change without me pushing the sync button on the phone first.

I would really like the option to have a tick box in account settings to say perform a sync on each change.. come on MS... let the consumer decide if the battery saving is worth it at the expense of sync...

 

[TripsG]

@ousooner314, @jimski...I have been doing the manual sync now for days. I still have my iPhone 4 (keeping it as a backup) and just find it frustrating to grab it and see everything up to date while my WP just thinks about it. As I've said, serious first world problems here, but was hoping that it was some oversight on my part.

@kbilly70...I tried this but I was already set at 1 minute. I did speak to my admin and, whether right or wrong, he immediately stated it was a known issue that he experienced when he was on WP years ago. He was actually nodding his head even as I started explaining what the issue was.

Again, I guess I'm resigned to just syncing myself every time I check mail.

I appreciate all of the responses. I find this forum to be the most polite and informative of the OS's and am happy to be part of the ecosystem.

 

[kbilly70]

My system admin and I have been testing this and I was wrong, it's not automatically deleting emails as I had thought. Apparently when I delete an email on my phone, and a new email arrives it triggers the sync between the phone and Exchange, which then deletes the email from Outlook. I typically receive hundreds of emails an hour and so it appeared the emails were being deleted almost immediately when really each new email was triggering the sync. We tested with different sync settings and test emails and I encountered the same thing as everyone else.

I apologize for the misinformation or possible hope that it may have given anyone.

 

[rkgriffin]

I am the Exchange admin at my company and this feature or issue is a pain. I have done a ton of testing and it seems this is the way Microsoft coded the Outlook phone app. The delay sync on edits being made is ok (conserves battery) but MUST be adjustable in the settings. I have a charging pad at my test so battery issues are not an issue for me. I should be able to turn on constant sync. I hate having to remember to his manual sync all day long.

For non tech users use to the iPhone this is a big problem. They think something is broke with Exchange and complain. I guess Microsoft decided that people complaining about battery life was worse than this.

This issue along with WP8 not supported the EAS policy of "Require Encryption on Storage Card" is really killing the platform.

 

[TripsG]

@kbilly70...no worries. I figured it was a pipe dream but thought it would be a good exercise to ask everyone.

I'm still amazed that the Apple iOS can do this flawlessly and the WP system (again,designed by MS folks for MS products) doesn't work nearly as well.

Hopefully someone who does this for a living a Redmond happens on this thread and wonders why themselves and then fixes it.

Hey, I can dream...

Thanks everyone!

 

[tcman88]

Go to the settings on your exchange and Change the sync option to sync as they arrive. It's defaulted to every 15 minutes I believe (assuming to preserve battery) I always had long delays and compatibility issues with IOS main reason i switched to WP was the fact that exchange works with absolutely no issues of syncing or compatibility issues

 

[TripsG]

@rkgriffin...thanks for testing this. I have a pad also at my desk so I will do more testing on my end as well.

@tcman88...you're the first person I have heard have any issues with iOS and Exchange sync. Mine was simply flawless. To see my iPhone, iPad and computer all notify me of something literally within a second of each other was pure geeky joy. Conversely, to see WP and my Outlook stare at each other like some spaghetti western, wondering which one will flinch first, makes me face palm daily. Simply frustrating.