UPDATE: 5/21/2010
This method no longer works to ‘sticky’ your preferred address on OS 3.1 and above. I’m not sure what exact firmware update killed this trick (could have been a 3.0.x update or an early 3.1.x update). This is Apple’s fault.
Google recently updated Google Sync to include support got push GMail. This is very nice but I came across two problems.
First the search feature built into my iPhone does not allow me to ‘search the server’ using the email associated with Google Sync [thanks to Aaron Krill of Krillr.com for finding this bug).
The second problem was one I found a way around. I normally send email from eric@nemchik.com using the GMail web interface thanks to their 'Send From' feature. But Google Sync did not want to let me do this.
Heres how to solve this problem;
- Go to settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > [Your Google Sync Account] > Account Info
- Change the Email field to the email alias you normally send from
- Back out (don’t worry it will auto save what you enter)
- Note: Setup instructions below are for iPhone or iPod touch devices running software version 3.0.To configure IMAP for your iPhone or iPod touch, just follow these steps:
- Make sure you’ve enabled IMAP in your main Gmail settings
- On your iPhone or iPod touch’s home screen, tap Settings
- Tap Mail
- Tap Add Account…
- Tap Other
- Tap Add Mail Account
- Enter your account information, being sure to use your full Gmail address (or full Google Apps email address)
- Tap Save
- For Incoming Mail Server:
- Host Name is ‘imap.gmail.com’
- User Name is your full Gmail address, including ‘@gmail.com’ (or full Google Apps email address)
- For Outgoing Mail Server:
- Host Name is ‘smtp.gmail.com’
- User Name is your full Gmail address, including ‘@gmail.com’ (or full Google Apps email address)
- Tap Save
- Check our recommended client settings, and adjust your client’s settings as needed.
What if I tap ‘Gmail’ instead?Archiving and deleting messages will work differently. Our instructions ensure Gmail works as designed.
NOTE: Before proceeding replace both the ‘Address’ and ‘Description’ fields with your preferred Alias address (full email address whatever@whatever.com) * see star below
- Once you have done the final save, tap on the account you just created and erase the Incoming Mail Server Host (imap.gmail.com) and leave this field blank (this will prevent you from receiving duplicate email but still allow you to send outgoing from your alias)
Explanation:
The IMAP account you just created will NOT receive incoming mail, so if someone emails you your phone will only show the mail on the Google Sync account. The only reason the IMAP account exists is to provide the SMTP server settings used for sending outgoing mail. The instructions above (when followed correctly) will trick the iPhone into using the SMTP settings for outgoing while still using the Google Sync for incoming, and you should not need to switch the ‘from address’ on the iPhone (the alias address should be used by default).
You will now see 2 email accounts in your Mail app. Mine looks like this:
The top one is the alias ‘Send From’ address and you can completely ignore it. Keep the Google Sync account open and try sending an email to a friend and ask what address it comes from.
* This post has been edited to provide instructions found on this Google Support Document. The instructions as they are seen on this page will NOT be kept up to date with newer material as it becomes available so I recommend checking the official page for any deviating instructions while still following the notes I have made in red above.
Uhhh, I dont mean to be rude but you are touching on 2 different things here.
- Google Sync is the Google Branded ActiveSync (Push email)
- Setting up an iMAP account hardly fixes this, you are simply setting up a custom iMAP account (NO Push = not Google Sync)
Hope no one follows this incorrect advice.
Sorry Folks the issue is not ActiveSync or Google Sync this is an Application issue on the iphone. They (Apple) need to add an addressable reply-to or spoof address, or the ability to send mail using a different smtp server. These are the same issues with Legit Exchange product integrations as well, not simply Google.
I'm sorry Eric but I beg to differ.
What these steps do is to tell the Exchange account to “send mail via this address” but that won't work unless the account *exists*, because your login and password are required. Adding the IMAP account does just that.
This is why you have to remove the IMAP server entry once it's done, or it will download mail from there as well.
I have tested this, and it works. Push mail comes in via the Exchange account, outgoing mail goes out thru the pseudo IMAP account, even when viewing the Exchange inbox. What's neat is, the mail you send out this way reflects on the Exchange account as well (in the sent mail folder).
I'm sorry you are not seeming to grasp the point of this post. I am using Google Sync (or Google Branded ActiveSync / Push Email / Exchange Server as you put it) for incoming mail, which means i get instant notifications. Outgoing mail however is run through the SMTP settings of an IMAP account setup on my phone. The setup described above is meant to fool the iPhone's OS into using the SMTP settings rather than the Exchange Server for outgoing mail while also disabling the IMAP incoming mail so you do not get duplicate incoming mail.
I recommend you try the method I have outlined before bashing it. And by try it I mean do every step exactly as described, don't deviate because you think you know better.
In any case, thanks for reading and I hope this post helps some people.
p.s. afterthought, this is a missing feature that Google should be supporting, not an issue with the iPhone OS or the way iPhone handles Exchange servers. Google employee admits this is a Google issue here: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mo...
I'd love for this to work, but honestly, I don't understand the instructions. Making changes as suggested in the Exchange account is straightforward. However, the “Now follow these instructions but on step 7 enter..” looks to me like we are supposed to set up a separate iphone account but with IMAP. Instead of venturing off to partial instructions on another site, could you just elaborate all the steps here? We would all really appreciate it.
Okay — I tried it. Works great. Very clever.
Works great, exactly how I want
Thanks
Works great, exactly how I want
Thanks
I configured something similar to this using standard Gmail IMAP. I wanted to be able to send messages or reply from multiple aliases that all forward to my Gmail inbox. When checking Gmail from the Web, Gmail can be configured to reply from the same address to which a message was sent. However, no such functionality exists on the iPhone. Thus, I set up an IMAP or POP account for all of the reply addresses. I have the incoming server set to an IMAP mailbox that never gets any mail. And I have the SMTP server set for all of the accounts to the Gmail SMTP server. The only account that receives mail is the Gmail account. When I compose a message from the Gmail inbox on the iPhone, there is then a dropdown on the “Cc/Bcc, From:” line. If you select it, you can then choose whichever of the accounts you've set up as the FROM address. The mail still goes out through the Gmail SMTP server, and the reply address is correct.
The only thing that is annoying about this is that you have to choose the FROM address every time you send the message. If your'e checking the mail from the Exchange Push Gmail account, the default address will always be the @gmail.com address. There is no way to make the alias sticky.
Actually CyrDog the alias can be 'sticky' if you follow the instructions I have provided here (and you don't even need to turn the “Cc/Ncc, From:” option on).
These instructions were written specifically for the purpose of making it 'sticky'.
you are a fucktard. you were obviously on crack or some hallucinating drug when you came up with this. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and speakers you nub. google clearly identified this as a bug in v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus, you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
you are a fucktard. do yourself a favor and stick with installing coax and stereo speakers you nub. google knows this is an issue with v3.1.2 of the iphone. jesus you are fucking retarded.
I'm REALLY trying to get this to work, but, everytime I set it up, I ALWAYS get “Cannot Send Mail The connection to the outgoing server 'smtp.gmail.com' failed.” I've tried to use both my work and home addressess (both non-gmail of course), and this just keeps happening. I've tried it with and without replacing the email field (with my home email) in the Google Sync Account box. I wasn't sure if that was a necessary step, or just to “sticky” your favorite address. Oh, and another issue that I keep running into is that I keep downloading at least one email into my “new IMAP account” before I can get into the settings to remove the incoming IMAP info. Any tricks on doing that? Thanks a ton, and REALLY hope I can get this working on my iPhone.
Dude you are a legend. Just started using google sync on my iPhone and was dismayed when e-mails started sending from my gmail address rather than the default address on my gmail account. This work around worked a treat!
Hey, thanks for the update!
I Finally got it to work (by turning SSL to On in the smtp settings), and I can now send emails out. However, a window will randomly pop up saying: “No Password provided for myemailaddress@comcast.net” (the smtp account I just added). I checked to make sure, and ALL of my passwords are, in fact, still there. The username and password should still be filled in on the incoming mail server correct? From your directions, it only says to delete the host name, so that's all I did. Any ideas?
Oh, and on a separate note. I haven't tried to yet, but is there a way that I can create another IMAP outgoing account for my work email as well? If I could do that, I'd be perfectly happy because I only really use my comcast and work emails anyway.
Thanks!
i can walk you through setting up your work email but i'd need to know more about your setup
feel free to email me and we can get you all set
Well, I think I finally got everything working like I want it to!
I set my comcast email up like you suggested above, and I used a POP account (with similar settings) for my work email. Now, my comcast email is “sticky'd” as the default address and I can simply select my work address in the “from” line. The only thing that seems weird about it (and this may just be normal) is that if I try to refresh my email from the main Gmail page (with all of my folders). If I do, it will says that it cannot connect to the server (twice), but then updates my email anyway. I just figure that it does this twice because I have two outgoing smtps setup with no incoming. Other than that it's really not a biggy because it already pushes everything immediately. Thanks again!
For the last two months, I've had the return address setup per Erik's
instructions, and my alternate return address has been sticky as he
describes. Now all of a sudden, I'm seeing the behavior CyrDog describes,
where you have to change it every time you send an email.
I'll have to take a closer look tonight, but I wonder if it's related to
the Google Sync push issues that have been happening the last couple of
days? I've tried removing and reinstalling the accounts, but I still have to change the return address each time. Yet it works fine on my wife's phone.
BTW, there is a confusing step in the instructions above. You have the “replace address and description” text in red after number 7. But that that point, I wouldn't have pressed save. So if I follow the directions literally, I would type in the gmail address, and then backspace over it with my alternate address before even saving.
BTW, my wife's setup works, and when I look at the folders in her “dummy” account, there are Inbox and Sent folders. When I look at my folders for my setup that doesn't work, I only have an Inbox folder.
it works, bravo
Brilliant – works a treat. Thank you so much!
One bit of odd behavior — if I refresh in the email list view, no problem. However, if I refresh while viewing an individual email message, I get the warning “Cannot get mail” and “no password provided.” Not a big deal, but is this expected?
I'm not really sure, this could be an issue with the iPhone or an issue with the way Google Sync works, could you investigate a bit more?
Hi Eric, Thank you for the quick reply. If I turn off the imap account, the error goes away. Of course, with the imap account off, I cannot send from my alternate email address. I'm guessing that when one hits refresh while in an individual message, it checks through both accounts (imap and sync) and gives the error. Not clear to me why the error doesn't come up when in the email list view, in a mailbox. My sense is that this is a minor hitch in your overall scheme, which otherwise works beautifully. My initial inquiry was to see if I am observing odd behavior particular to my phone and set up, or whether this is expected. Could you try on your phone and verify? If we get the same, issue solved and we know what's going on. Thank you.
I finally found what was giving me a problem. I had forgotten to change the alternate “from” address in the Google Sync account. Duh!
after reading your posts again and trying it myself, i do indeed have this issue as well – and it goes away when turning off the dummy account – my conclusion is that this is an issue with apple's software confusing the two accounts and trying to refresh from the wrong one, however if apple were to fix this issue im pretty sure this little tutorial i wrote would not work (because confusing the iphone os is how this trick works)
Weird behavior that just showed up today. I'm finding that my google sync account is resetting the email address, from the one I would like to send from, back to my actual gmail address. Is this something google can set through their servers?
Hi Eric,
I think we are hosed. At least on my phone, your wonderful trick no longer works. If I change the Email field in the sync set up window, or even if I leave it blank, once I exit, it changes back to my normal gmail address. Can you please give this a try? I'm thinking that google has a way of syncing one's gmail address back to the phone so that our default sender address has to be our google address.
thanks
Weird behavior that just showed up today. I'm finding that my google sync account is resetting the email address, from the one I would like to send from, back to my actual gmail address. Is this something google can set through their servers?
Hi Eric,
I think we are hosed. At least on my phone, your wonderful trick no longer works. If I change the Email field in the sync set up window, or even if I leave it blank, once I exit, it changes back to my normal gmail address. Can you please give this a try? I'm thinking that google has a way of syncing one's gmail address back to the phone so that our default sender address has to be our google address.
thanks
Does not work
what specifically doesnt work?
Does not work
what specifically doesnt work?
When trying to change the email address in the exchange server account (to the address we are trying to send from), when you back out, the email address gets reset to that of the .gmail.
What firmware are you on?
What firmware are you on?
I have the same issue with the latest firmware.
This also happened to me about a month ago. One day the behavior “g” mentioned just started. I have an iPhone 3G running OS 3.1.2.
I get the same on the latest firmware. Does this actually still work for you?
Make sure the email address in the exchange account and the email address in the imap account are both exactly the same (the address you want to be sending from). The usernames should remain as your actual gmail address, but the address fields should be changed.
i do have this fix working for me. I believe it's time for me to rewrite the instructions one more time to supply a more permanent fix to the issues people are having.
Make sure the email address in the exchange account and the email address in the imap account are both exactly the same (the address you want to be sending from). The usernames should remain as your actual gmail address, but the address fields should be changed.
I have updated the very top of the post to reflect recent information. You can still use this method to manually select which address to send from while not receiving mail on both addresses, but to make the address 'sticky' is no longer possible. Apple killed this trick with an update.
Is this working on the latest firmware? I'll have to try it again…