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Cannot connect to server with Gmail setup as Exchange account

I cannot get my gmail account setup as an exchange account of my new iPad after upgrading to iOS 6.1.3. I have tried to restore from iCloud backup where it was working only my previous iPad and completely wipe and setup as new iPad. I get the same error each time:


The account is added and credentials validated (check marks appear) but when I go to Mail there's only and inbox and I get an error that it cannot connect to server. I've tried this 5+ times now and done what people suggested in other posts, nothing works.


Is is a glitch in new iOS build? Strangely, I am running same version of iOS on my iPhone 5 and gmail via exchange works just fine. Super frustrating as connecting my gmail as a gmail account doesn't sync contacts (major feature oversight here!) to the device, just colander and mail.


Please help :)

iPad (4th gen) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iOS 6.1.3

Posted on Apr 4, 2013 1:36 PM

Reply
26 replies

Apr 4, 2013 3:53 PM in response to arobichaux85

arobichaux85 wrote:


Strangely, I am running same version of iOS on my iPhone 5 and gmail via exchange works just fine.

Not only did Google stop supporting Exchange for new setups, they did something sneaky that you may want to look into carefully before declaring that your iPhone 5 is working just fine ... read on:


I too had GMail Exchange working great on my iPhone. I had it set it up so that messages that I'd delete from my iPhone would actually go to Trash rather than archived in All Mail (you would have to do that on Google's server).


Everything was working fantastic, until February of this year. When Google stopped supporting Exchange, although my GMail continued to work on my iPhone I discovered that mail I was deleting from my iPhone was once again being archived to All Mail. I found hundreds of messages archived that I thought I had deleted.


Whatever Google did, it removed the ability to send a message to Trash when using Exchange -- and going back to their server to change the setting is no longer available (unless you have a paid Google account I'm told). The standard iOS account setup allows you to set this in iOS settings, but Exchange setup does not provide for this. (The GMail app will send things to Trash though, but I really don't like their UI).


So, check your All Mail folder before you declare that things are working fine on your iPhone. I now use the standard GMail account setup in iOS and set up my Contact sync via CardDAV as suggested by Meg. (if it makes you feel better, the official Apple instructions for this are found below).

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4872?viewlocale=en_US

Sep 22, 2013 7:36 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Mine still works. I can post screenshots if you would like. I cannot get it to work on my iPhone 5S now, but I deleted it from my iPhone 5 running iOS 7 and added it back with no problem and it still works. Maybe my device is still in their system somewhere. Who knows? But insisting that the m.google.com server doesn't work anymore is incorrect.

Sep 23, 2013 6:31 AM in response to xboxgod

No need to prove it works.. it only "still" works because it was setup prior to January 30th 2013, if you get another iPhone 5 (not S) it will not work, it will only work on that particular device.


So...

If you had your Gmail account setup on your iOS device prior to January 30th 2013, you can wipe that device and reconfigure "YOUR" gmail as exchange account and it will verify and work fine. However, if you change the device, ie, swap with another family member or replace it from Apple, it will verify fine but mail will not download to the device, it will error. It will work if you have Google Apps for Business.


Hope this helps.


It's not that it doesn't work, it's Gmail that has removed support for it but decided to keep support for paying customers.


The best solution is to use the Gmail app from the app store for PUSH and configure the default mail app as a gmail account which doesn't support PUSH, but allows the phone to send mail from the same account. Then setup CardDAV and CalDAV for contacts and calendars.

Sep 23, 2013 7:38 AM in response to iannone

One thing to be aware of with GMail Excange, deleted messages get archived to All Mail, not trashed. There was a server setting at m.google.com to control this but you no longer have access to that setting to change it back. I too had Exchange, but abandoned it because I had weeks worth of junk in All Mail that I thought went to Trash, with no way to correct the setting.


Oh, and under iOS 7 you no longer need CardDAV for contacts since the native GMail account profile now provides Contact support (finally).

Oct 30, 2013 12:56 PM in response to arobichaux85

I was surprised to find I could not change my iPhone to Exchange for one of GMail accounts (for my own domain), while the same account works in Exchange mode on my iPad.


My @gmail account was already setup for Exchange on both my devices and those two still work, both before and after upgrading to iOS7. Se Google clearly keeps track of device+account, not only accounts, for which they allow to use Exchange setup.


I prefer Exchange for its push support....

Oct 30, 2013 1:56 PM in response to n808n808

Google will continue to support "devices" that had gmail accounts configured as Exchange prior to January 30 2013, but it will not support adding additional gmail accounts that were not previously configured on that device.

It will work for paying customers, ie Google Apps for Business or Education.


Exchange is by far the best way to configure email....

Cannot connect to server with Gmail setup as Exchange account

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