Delays in loading AOL mail to Apple Mail

I have the same problem on multiple Macs - delayed delivery of AOL email to the Mail app via IMAP. Other IMAP accounts are fine. AOL works fine on my iPhone and iPad (which is how I usually notice that emails are missing). If i exit Mail and re-start it the missing mails usually show up. I've tried re-building the mailbox but have not found a solution.

Sparrow running on the same system works fine, all email shows up on time. So it appears to be a specific Mac OS X mail app to AOL issue. This worked fine for years - appears to have shown up with Lion or some other Mail updates late last year.

HI SusanCnett,

I've the same problem too! I went to an Apple store today and was hoping to get it solved and they resetted my mail and everything but when I got home and opened my email and the problem is still there, did you get yours resolved? Is it the Mac issue or the Aol issue? Any advise??

Hi,

I have the same problem. Regularly. It's been happening since I began using the Apple Mail program.

It happens across an array of Mac OSs, Mac computers, and versions of the Apple Mail application.

Does anyone know either a fix for this, or a better- reliable mail application for Mac?

This is an unacceptable situation.

Thanks!

Same problem here and as with some other users, I get my AOL mail promptly on my iPhone. But delays are common now on my iMac and Mac Air using Apple Mail. I find that if I "synchronize AOL account" (in Apple Mail under Mailbox in menu at top of screen) usually this will pull the missing messages down into Mail. But seems this does not always work and anyway this should not be necessary. I'd further note that the delay in receiving the AOL messages in Apple Mail is uneven. Sometimes they do arrive promptly; sometimes not. Puzzling.

Would welcome any solution anyone comes across.

OK so this is what I have done and it seems to have helped some but it's still not perfect.

Empty the cache for apple mail.

Go to your user folder

Library

Caches

look for the folder:

com.apple.mail

Select it.

Hit command backspace, sending it to the trash (or drag it to the trash).

Don't bother emptying the trash yet (in case you have issues you can retireive it if nesessary later, but it seems to helped a little.)

Restart your machine.

Restart apple mail

Now empty your trash.

My cache file was over 18 megs. It went down to 88K when it was rebuilt in the library on launching apple mail again.

Associates of mine are having these same issues ...

They are NOT on AOL ... but a variety of other standard email servers ...

So, it does not appear to be an AOL problem.

But rather with Apple Mail in particular.

My old AOL app, far outdated now (but still works) ... does not have these issues ...

I wish Apple would not become involved in applications it does not intend to actually support and develop properly, over the twists and turns in it's own OS .... and hardware systems.

I've still not taken the time to switch away from Apple Mail, but ... the situation is not getting any better ....

It is obviously something wrong in their system, because:

Other services have the same problem ...

and the problem is not consistence or predictable ...

the same on a variety of computers, and a variety of Mac OSs ...

I've found no reliable 'fix' for it, other than waiting ... until Apple Mail decides to actually deliver my mail ...

Sometimes over a DAY late.

Sometimes, a message will come in, then dissapear completely, no trace of it ...

Then reappear at some point later .... Or sometimes not at all ....

And the crazy thing is ...

Sometimes-

Not all the messages are late ...

Sometimes just a message or two. Even from the same service ....

Usually though- Everything .... is late ... from all services ... not just AOL ...

Often-

Nothing comes in for many hours ... then poof- a pile of stuff appears, all at once.

I've at least gotten a sense of when it's 'withholding' my emails ...

Does anyone know either a fix for this, or a better- reliable mail application for Mac?

This is an unacceptable situation.

Thanks!

ps:

I should note:

There is nothing wrong with my internet service.

I am working regularly online, at fairly high speeds.

Typically 20.7 down, 4.7 up

AOL Mail Help

Call AOL

Same problem. Anyone sort this out yet?

Would really love a hint!

Tied PostBox too thinking it might help.

No luck.