Temp fix for iOS 6 not pushing Exchange mail

I got a call today from an Apple Engineering Analyst because he saw my posts on this thread as well as on another thread I started and he had me install some profiles that he sent me which enabled full diagnostic logging. After recreating the push problem about 3 or 4 times, I pulled off the logs and sent them to him. Hopefully these logs will help in determining this problem once and for all!

Obviously, they know about this problem but do not know the cause... hopefully they will soon!

Revised, not going with AT&T backup--post was premature. Those AT&T phones with LTE capability were working but the LTE rollout only started this weekend in our region and is continuing this week. Those IP5 phones worked fine on the 4G network but as LTE expanded this week and those users started jumping on/off the new growing LTE network in this area, Exchange push mail started failing as of today for our users.

Has anyone had push stop working while the phone was stationary? I've noticed, anecdotally, that it seems to keep working for me (after an Airplane Mode on/off) as long as it's in the same location. This is a recent observation, so I can't call it categorically true, but it's been true all day today and yesterday. I've even disabled/enable WiFi and LTE repeatedly without push breaking.

Yes, but I have to start from a full restore, configure the Exchange accounts anew, and then stay put in one single place. It will work flawlessly so long as I stay put from a fresh restore of the phone. Once I go mobile--even 1/2 a mile--it stops, and I can't get it to stick again without a full restore from scratch and then staying put. Once I begin to travel and it stops, push is done for me. Reboots, toggling Airplane mode off/on, etc., gets it to work for a few minutes but it doesn't last--even if I stay stationary.

I am able to move around and keep Exchange working. However, when I receive or make a phone call and my data turns off (CDMA - Sprint), I am unable to retrieve my mail at all. It isn't just that "push" functionality breaks, but I am unable to "fetch" email from Exchange either. If I open Mail, it will read "Connecting..." and never move past that status message. Eventually it will tell me that Mail cannot connect.

I've disabled my Exchange setup for gmail and simply will wait for a fix. Funny thing is that another iPhone 4 on my plan (running 6.0) has no problems with Exchange. So frustrating.

iPhone 5. Not 4. Pardon the mistake!

Mee too with OS6 does not push my Exchange mail. I am on ATT, have an iPhone 4s & an iPad 3 (the version before the retina version). I have been unable to access my exchange mail. How frustrating since this is my life line to my home and office. ARGH.

I have researched various chat sites and attempted any/all fixes located. Unfortunately nothing has worked. ARGH. Being naive I visited the APPLE store in Corte Madera CA to seek knowledge. I explained my problem to the "greeter" at the door. Of course he was familiar with the problem (duh) and asked if I had installed the 6.1.1 update. Yes, 6.1.1. He assured me this will fix my problem. No i had not added this update and was not even aware it exsited. He explained how to access the updated and sent me on my way. Boy did i feel stupid.

Well now i see there is NO 6.1.1 update. Best i can tell it will be out during the "holidays". Is this what everyone else has heard? I am so disappointed with the "genius" at the Corte Madera store and Apple for employing him.

Am i stuck until Apple releases the 6.1.1 update? I am at the end of my knowlegde base (and my patience).

We support a ton of iPhones all with the same issue. Our clients are pretty upset. We recommended the following work araound until Apple gets the issue corrected (switch to Fetch, not Push):

Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars -> Fetch New Data -> Tap “Every 15 Minutes” -> Advanced -> Select Exchange email account -> Tap “Fetch"

Once Apple releases the next update, then hopefully all will be back to normal and we can go back to Push as it should be.

The answer is RESET NETWORK SETTINGS!

"Clif H" mentioned this fix for the new ios 6.0.1 not PUSHING EXCHANGE-based E-mail. I had this problem since updating to ios 6.0.1, I followed Clif's advice and RESET my NETWORK SETTINGS, and now my E-mail (Exchange, Gmail) push notifications are back - and working fine !!

All bow to Clif H

If only resetting network settings provided a long-term fix...

Why wouldn't resetting network setting be considered a long-term fix?

I reset the network settings - my exchange pushes are back. So what could possibly retro-act this fix?

@Neil3D: If you read the other 40 pages of this thread you would know that many things such as resetting network settings, turning airplane mode on and back off, rebooting the phone, etc. will get push working again but it always fails again. Sometimes it takes only a few minutes, and sometimes it takes a day, but it always fails again. That is why it is a temporary solution.

I think it safe to say that any/all methods will be temporary for those affected by this bug. For those of who have push working 100% I can assure you that resetting network settings was the single action that resolved the issue. The problem here is you have so many variables in play: iPhone5-vs-iPhone4-vs-iPhone4S, Verizon-vs-AT&T, 3G-vs-LTE, and iOS 6-vs-6.0.1 in play. I can only say speak from my experience (which is the only thing any of us can do) and in that experience with both my Verizon iPhone 4S running 6.0 off Exchange 2010 w/RU2 as well as a colleague's AT&T iPhone 4 upgraded to 6.0.1 both experienced push mail failures after upgrading to iOS 6.x. Simply resetting the network settings fixed the issue for both phones.

From the sounds of it we've got results all over the board here. Here's what I might suggest based on what others have reported as troubleshooting steps in order of severity. The key here being monitoring results on each step of the way to determine effectiveness/patterns (recapping this for folks just joining your program already in progress)...

1. Ensure iPhone is upgraded to latest iOS (6.0.1 as of 11/15/12).
2. Ensure Mail accounts are set to reasonable sync timeframes: in Settings, Mail/Contact/Calendars, Account (having no limit set on accounts getting hundreds of messages/day is asking for trouble).
3. Ensure Mail accounts are set to push only Inbox: in Settings, Mail/Contact/Calendars, Account (we saw one of our VIPs actually had 300+ folders set to push - no way he manually checked all of them off, this happened only after restoring new iPhone 5 from iPhone 4S backup).
4. Turn calendar on/off: in Settings, Mail/Contact/Calendars, Account, Calendars (appears temp fix for most but worth tracking how long before push drops).
5. Reset Accounts: delete and re-add one-by-one all server-side accounts in Settings, Mail/Contact/Calendars (some have found iCloud account can kill push on Exchange/other accounts as well).
6. Reset Network Settings: in General, Reset, Reset Network Settings.
7. New Device: backup, wipe, and setup as new phone with push accounts added back in one-by-one (some have reported restoring back after running as new setup can resolve issue for them).
8. Hardware Swap: Go to Apple and request a new iPhone, setup as new device, monitor and track.

Additionally, when reporting back results here, always helpful to include:

1. Cellular carrier
2. iPhone model
3. iOS version
4. Email account type (Exchange/iCloud/other)
5. WiFi on/off
6. How long push has been working

HTH. Just heard iOS 6.1 went beta 2 the other day. Given first OS update are more focused on wide-ranged consumer bugs, second updates on enterprise bugs (anyone remember AD issues pre-10.8.2?) I would not be surprised if 6.1 was the update that got this thing worked out. Apple's obviously watching. Help out by posting back as many relevant details/logs as possible.

Clif

SDORN: My apologies, I did not read through the previous 40 posts about the fact the "resetting network settings" could possibly be only a temporary fix for some people. I happened upon Clif's suggestgion - tried it - it worked - I am happy.

I am running a 4S phone on 6.0.1, and so far Clif's suggestion had remedied my non-pushing issue for Exchange-based E-mail accounts - but I only reset the network yesterday evening, and if this aspect of the E-mail pushing function mysteriously "breaks" again I will certainly post that information. But so far, so good. Fingers crossed.

CLIF H: Thank you for picking up on this discussion again, and thank you for the recent detailed post. So far, your suggestion has definitely helped me. Should the push function for Exchange-based E-mail stop working I will certainly report information 1 through 6 as noted aboove in your most recent post. May the "schwartz" be with you !!

Clif H,

Good post laying down the foundation to reorganize this extremely long thread. Everything I have attempted to remedy the situation on my end has been temporary, but I can't pinpoint when my problem first began.

I'm running 6.0.1 on a Sprint iPhone 5 in an area that is only 3G. The email account is gmail, configured to work as an Exchange account. Push breaks as soon as my phone receives or places a phone call when using the phone over cellular data. I've been able to isolate that specific action as the catalyst that ultimately ceases Exchange function. After receiving or placing a call, I will routinely attempt to open a page in Safari and that works no problem. If I attempt to open Mail, it will read "Connecting..." on the bottom status bar and will not move from that message. At this point, I'm unable to send or receive email on my Exchange account. Anecdotally, weather is unable to update and some other Apps lose data function. Toggling Airplane Mode, or using a wifi network will restore my Exchange connection and I will begin to receive email both through Push and Fetch.

This definitely seems to be a twist on the problem that others are experiencing on this thread. From my reading here, it appears as though many are able to still "fetch" email through the Exchange account, but my problem is totally broken.

I have attempted to clear network settings, restored through iTunes and set up the phone as a new device, and a DFU restore on a "fresh" copy of iOS 6.0.1. Basically, I'm at my wits' end. It should also be noted that i have another iPhone 5 on my Sprint account - running 6.0 - and this broken Exchange is not an issue.

My temporary fix has been to set up my gmail through the gmail setup in mail - not exchange. I'm able to take and place calls and continue full functionality of the device. I'm not a software engineer, but this tends to indicate that there is some glitch in how Exchange works on cellular data - especially when that data connection is interrupted.

Let's all hope this issue can be resolved soon. I feel for those of you who rely on Exchange for work.