What's up with email syncing?

[kiddori]

I consider myself a multi-platform kind of guy and use iOS, Android, and WP devices on a regular basis. I want to use my Lumia 920 more but there is one thing that really irritates me and it's the poor email syncing. I'll compare it to Gmail on Android here.

When using the Gmail app on Android, if I delete or archive an email it will update the server within seconds. If I do the same in Outlook on my Lumia 920, it doesn't automatically update the server right away....it can take several minutes or longer before the server is updated.

Why they delay? With Microsoft's long experience in email products I'm expecting it to be flawless.

Is this normal or am I the only one experiencing this?

 

[markfive]

If you are using the EAS protocol then this behaviour is by design - client-side deletes do not generate their own sync requests. I believe the intention is to reduce the number of sync open/close operations, which saves on battery and data

 

[kiddori]

Thanks for your response Mark. I can see it being beneficial in certain situations as you described. However, during work hours I constantly switch between my computer and phone and prefer them to be pretty much in real-time sync. I guess there is no way to change it?

 

[markfive]

There's no way to get the phone to sync deletions by default, no. I got into the habit of hitting the sync button when needed.

 

[kiddori]

What about archiving (moving to a folder)? It seems to not sync either?

 

[markfive]

Not tried it myself but I suspect the same approach applies.

 

[manicottiK]

What about archiving (moving to a folder)? It seems to not sync either?

I don't mean this to sound condescending, but it might (so apologies in advance).

Have you tried tapping the Sync button at the bottom of the screen after a bunch of deletes or moves? While it will use battery, the screen is already on (you are doing email after all) so the incremental use isn't likely to be too high and it will force the phone and server to match.

While I do respect Microsoft's decision on this, I do wish that there were an option to "Quick sync moves and deletes."

 

[kiddori]

Yes, the sync button works and I've used it. But I was expecting this to happen automatically (as with other IMAP email services). Using the sync button is an unnecessary step in my opinion and yes I also wish there were more options in sync.