Effective Guide to Fix Gmail Not Syncing with iPhone Issue

| Updated on February 13, 2024

Whenever you add your Gmail account to a device like iPhone, it starts synchronizing so that you are able to check all your Gmail data on your iPhone. If this doesn’t happen, you may start facing issues in opening and reading messages, accessing calendars, and accessing contacts. As a result, it hampers the overall functioning of the mail app and can also disrupt the routine emailing process. 

Know Why Gmail is Not Syncing with iPhone

There could be several reasons your Gmail account is not syncing with iPhone; go through the list and see what can cause this error and then further read the solutions that you can try to fix it:

  1. The issues with the sync process can arise if the data transfer taking place in the backend is going through an issue, and that is what is affecting the smooth working of the iPhone mail app. 
  2. If Gmail is facing a server issue
  3. The internet your iPhone is connected to is unstable or is not giving adequate signal strength.
  4. The IMAP settings of Gmail have got disabled
  5. Entering incorrect server settings can also give rise to sync issues with Gmail.
  6. If your Gmail app is outdated, this can prevent Gmail from syncing properly on iPhone.

What to Do When Gmail is Not Syncing?

The above reasons are enough to explain to you why Gmail sync issues arise in first place and now, the solutions listed below will help you fix Gmail syncing problems:

Give a Restart to your iPhone

Every troubleshooting starts with restarting your device, so why not try this universal solution to fix Gmail syncing issues. Restarting your device gives it a boost and is a proven solution to fix most of the minor issues or bugs. So, before you try out any other solution listed ahead, restart your iPhone and see if this brings back the Gmail syncing process to normal.

Check Push Settings

Incorrect push settings can also be the reason why Gmail is not syncing with iPhone. If you want Gmail to update on your iPhone, you need to configure the Push Settings correctly.

Here are the steps you need to follow to ensure Push Settings are properly configured:

  1. Open the Settings of your iPhone
  2. From the menu, press the option ‘Password and Accounts’
  3. Then you have to select the option ‘Fetch New Data’
  4. Finally, select Gmail and then tap ‘Fetch’.

Close the app and now check if Gmail is syncing with iPhone or not.

Ensure IMAP is Enabled

IMAP is the technology that Gmail uses to send emails from its mail server to your iPhone device. Although it is enabled by default, if it is not, you can re-enable IMAP settings for Gmail on your iPhone as follows:

  1. Log in to your Gmail account
  2. Click on the gear icon to open the ‘Settings’ menu and then click on ‘See all settings’.
  3. Click on the ‘Forwarding and POP/IMAP’ tab of your Gmail account
  4. From the IMAP access section, select the option ‘Enable IMAP’.

Ensure Wi-Fi Connectivity

The next important thing is to ensure the availability of a working, strong and stable internet as your iPhone device needs to be connected to the network in order to sync the emails of your Gmail account. So, check if your device’s cellular data or Wi-Fi is turned on.

You can also try restarting your router to fix the issues with the internet.

Reinstall Gmail App

The next troubleshooting step you need to take is to reinstall the Gmail app after uninstalling it from your iOS device. Reinstalling the Gmail app will fix the bugs with it and you might be able to sync your account again on your iPhone.

Remove and Re-add your Gmail Account

If the above methods didn’t work for you, you are advised to remove and re-add your Gmail account on your iPhone as this way you can freshly configure your Gmail account using the right settings; here is how to do it.

To remove your Gmail account from iPhone:

  1. Open the settings of your iPhone and then tap ‘Passwords and Accounts’
  2. Now, tap your Gmail account and then press ‘Delete account’.
  3. Again, clicking on ‘Delete Account’ will remove your Gmail account from your iPhone. Remember that doing this will not delete your Gmail account data.

To re-add the Gmail account on your iPhone:

  1. Go to ‘Settings’ of your iPhone device
  2. Select ‘Mail’
  3. Then tap ‘Add Account’
  4. And see if you have entered the correct account settings:
  • Account Type: IMAP
  • Hostname: imap.gmail.com
  • Username: your full email address
  • Outgoing Server: smtp.gmail.com
  1. After making the required changes, finally, click on ‘Save’.


Kanika Singh

Webmail and Internet Expert


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