How to Fix Email Not Syncing on Your Phone

Published 2026-10-16 · Marion Phone Repair

Your phone's email app shows old messages but new ones are not arriving, or you have to manually open the app and pull down to refresh before new emails appear. Email sync issues are usually caused by notification settings, background app restrictions, incorrect account configuration, or a connectivity problem — not a problem with the email service itself.

Check the basics first

Before digging into email settings, rule out the simple causes:

Internet connection: Open a browser and load a webpage. If the page does not load, the problem is your internet connection, not email. Try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data to see if email syncs on one but not the other
Email service outage: Check if the email service is down. Search for the service name plus "down" (for example, "Gmail down" or "Outlook down") — sites like Downdetector track outages in real time. If the service is down, no settings change will fix it until the service recovers
Storage space: If your phone's storage is completely full, apps cannot download new data including emails. Check your storage in Settings and free up space if needed

Check sync settings in the email app

Gmail app (Android and iPhone)

Open the Gmail app, tap the three-line menu, then Settings
Tap the email account that is not syncing
On Android: Make sure Sync Gmail is toggled on. Check Days of mail to sync — if this is set to a low number, older emails will not appear. Set it to 30 days or more
On iPhone: Gmail uses push notifications through the Gmail app. Make sure notifications are enabled for Gmail in Settings, Notifications, Gmail

iPhone Mail app

Go to Settings, then Mail, then Accounts
Tap the email account that is not syncing
Make sure Mail is toggled on under the account. If other services (Calendar, Contacts) are also not syncing, toggle them off and back on
Go back to Settings, Mail, Accounts, then Fetch New Data. This is where the critical setting lives:

Push: The server sends new emails to your phone instantly. This is the fastest option but not all email providers support it. iCloud and some Exchange servers support push. Gmail does NOT support push on the iPhone Mail app — it uses fetch instead
Fetch: Your phone checks for new email on a schedule. Tap the account and set it to Every 15 Minutes for frequent checking. If it is set to Manually, your phone will only check for email when you open the app
Manual: The phone never checks on its own. You must open the Mail app and pull down to refresh. If your email seems to only update when you open the app, this is likely set to Manual

Outlook app

Open Outlook, tap your profile icon, then tap the gear icon for Settings
Tap the email account, then check that the sync settings are correct
If Outlook is not syncing, try removing the account and adding it back. Tap the account, scroll down, and tap Delete Account. Then add the account again from the main settings screen. This forces Outlook to rebuild its connection to the mail server

Background app refresh and battery optimization

This is the most common cause of email not syncing on Android phones. Battery optimization features restrict apps from running in the background to save battery, and email apps need to run in the background to check for new messages.

Android

Go to Settings, Apps, find your email app, then Battery (or Battery optimization)
Set it to Unrestricted (or Not optimized). The default Optimized setting may prevent the app from syncing in the background
On Samsung phones: Also check Settings, Battery and device care, Battery, Background usage limits. Make sure your email app is not in the Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps list. Apps in these lists are aggressively restricted and may not sync at all
On Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme phones: These brands have especially aggressive battery management. Go to Settings, Battery, App battery management (or App launch manager), find the email app, and set it to Manual with all three toggles enabled (Auto-launch, Background activity, Secondary launch)

iPhone

Go to Settings, General, Background App Refresh
Make sure Background App Refresh is turned on (set to Wi-Fi and Mobile Data for best results)
Find your email app in the list and make sure its toggle is on

Check account password and authentication

If you recently changed your email password on a computer or another device, your phone still has the old password saved. The email app will silently fail to connect without always showing an obvious error.

iPhone: Go to Settings, Mail, Accounts, tap the account. If there is a re-enter password prompt or an error banner, tap it and enter your current password
Android: You may see a notification saying sign-in required. Tap it and enter your current password. If there is no notification, remove the account and add it back with the correct password
Two-factor authentication: If you enabled two-factor authentication on your email account, some email apps need an app-specific password instead of your regular password. Gmail requires this if you use the built-in Mail app on iPhone (but not the Gmail app). Yahoo requires app passwords for all third-party email apps. Generate an app password from your email provider's security settings

IMAP and POP settings (manual accounts)

If you added your email account manually using IMAP or POP server settings rather than the automatic setup, incorrect settings can prevent syncing:

IMAP vs POP: IMAP syncs emails across all devices — changes on one device appear on all others. POP downloads emails to one device and may delete them from the server. If your account is configured as POP, switch to IMAP if your provider supports it
Server settings: Check the incoming mail server address, port, and security type. Common correct settings: Gmail IMAP is imap.gmail.com port 993 SSL; Outlook is outlook.office365.com port 993 SSL; Yahoo is imap.mail.yahoo.com port 993 SSL. If any of these are wrong (especially the port or security type), the connection will fail silently or intermittently
SMTP (outgoing) settings: If you can receive email but not send, the outgoing server settings are wrong. This is a separate server and port from the incoming settings

Data saver and VPN interference

Data saver mode: On Android, data saver restricts background data usage for all apps. This can prevent email from syncing over mobile data. Go to Settings, Network and internet, Data saver, and either turn it off or add your email app to the Unrestricted data list
VPN: Some VPNs interfere with email protocols, especially on corporate networks. Disconnect your VPN and check if email syncs. If it does, the VPN may be blocking IMAP or SMTP ports
Low Data Mode (iPhone): Go to Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the info icon next to your network, and make sure Low Data Mode is off. Also check Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Options, Low Data Mode

Remove and re-add the account

If nothing else works, removing the email account from your phone and adding it back forces a fresh connection and re-downloads your settings from the server:

iPhone: Settings, Mail, Accounts, tap the account, Delete Account. Then add it back via Add Account
Android: Settings, Accounts (or Passwords and accounts), tap the email account, Remove account. Then add it back

This does not delete your emails — they remain on the server. When you add the account back, all your emails will re-sync. You may need to reconfigure your notification and sync preferences after re-adding.

Email sync help in Marion

If your phone email still will not sync after trying these steps, Marion Phone Repair can check your phone's settings, account configuration, and network connectivity to get your email working reliably again.