Back to Basics: Never Use Windows Mobile Messaging Automatic Email Settings

Google’s IMAP4 email service was so slow that it drained my Dash’s batteries 4% everytime it checked for mail. So, I removed it from the Dash’s Messaging (email) app last year. I decided it was time to check again. But, instead of the Dash, I decided to try using a TyTn (Windows Mobile 6 with a recent update from HTC) touch screen smartphone. Just for fun, I decided to say yes when asked by Messaging’s account setup if I wanted to have Windows Mobile to check if it knew how to configure the account automatically. I have never seen this thing actually find settings. So, I figured it would fail as usual and then move on to the manual configuration windows. I was shocked when Messaging reported it had found settings and had applied them to the account.

However, when I had Messaging try to get mail from Gmail, I knew right away that another miserable Windows Mobile failure was in progress. It was grabbing hundreds of email messages (or so it said) but not displaying anything. After spending many minutes going through this process (I had to grab a power supply so the TyTn wouldn’t power down or drain its batteries), absolutely nothing was in the inbox list despite the fact that I had mail as recently as a few minutes previous to starting the Messaging process. Why did this happen? Because Windows Mobile Messaging is clueless about Gmail’s IMAP4 service and configured it for POP3. Moreover, Windows Mobile Messaging’s POP3 interface is broken. It has been broken from the first day it rolled out of a Visual Studio on someone’s desk and remains broken today.

The moral to this story is NEVER NEVER NEVER bother to use Windows Mobile Messaging’s feature to auto configure and email account. It has never actually found anything for me until today. And, now that is has finally found something, it turns out it didn’t actually know how to configure the so-called “known” mail service correctly.

3 thoughts on “Back to Basics: Never Use Windows Mobile Messaging Automatic Email Settings

  1. gh

    Now the solution.
    MS win mobile will not by default let you set up a gmail imap. But there is a solution.

    a) follow the normal procedure for setting up an amial acct when entering your email address use xxxx@gmail.con instead of .com

    b) Then on the next screen uncheck auto settings check then procede to enter the rest of the details besure to choose imap from the drop down menu.

    c) when done go back to the account you just created and edit it. put in the correct email address then important press the previous screen NOT “next”. Then press OK.

    Your done you now have a gmail imap client setup in windows mobile.

  2. gh

    Whenever you post a problem back it up with a recommendation dont leave us hanging. So with that in mind what do you suggest we use if not the windows mobile 6 messaging client?

  3. Toby

    You could have avoided this by setting your gmail account for imap access only. Depending on when you made the account you may have had pop3 enabled already, but it sounds like you defiantly didn’t disable it, in the settings which you can do also.

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