Palm Pre Tutorial: Setup Push Email for Google Apps & Gmail

by Jeff Garrett on Jun 7, 2009

Setting up push Google Apps email and Gmail is a breeze on the Palm Pre.

It’s only day two with my new Palm Pre and to say I’m a tad excited would be a huge understatement.

So far one of my favorite features is how it manages email – particularly multiple email accounts. This is a HUGE feature for anyone like myself who has tried to manage multiple email accounts for different personal and work related endeavors. I set up my primary Exchange email yesterday and within 2 minutes, my calendar, email, and 600+ contacts were completely in sync with the Pre!

I was even more excited today when I sat down to add one of my Google Apps email accounts. It turns out that the Palm Pre supports the IMAP IDLE protocol, thereby enabling “push” email with your Google Apps email, or any Gmail account for that matter. After a quick review of Gmail Help I was off to the races.

Getting Started

Click the email icon to open your email.
Click the “Email” drop down arrow in the upper left hand corner.
Select “Preferences & Accounts.”
Scroll to the bottom and select “Add An Account.”
Click the “Email” drop down arrow in the upper left hand corner again.
Select “Manual Setup.”

Palm Pre Settings for Push Google Apps Email & Gmail

Mail Type: IMAP
Email Address:

Google Apps users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@yourdomain.com).
Gmail users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@gmail.com).

Incoming Mail Server
Server Name: imap.gmail.com
Username: Same as you entered for Email Address above.

Google Apps users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@yourdomain.com).
Gmail users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@gmail.com).

Password: Enter your password.
Port #: 993
Encryption: SSL

Outgoing Mail Server
Server Name: smtp.gmail.com
Use Authentication: Yes
Port#: 465
Encryption: SSL

Root Folder: leave blank

Updates

July 7, 2009

A few readers have provided additional pointers that I wanted to update this post with in case you don’t see them in the comments.

As Eric Marschall points out, be sure you have activated IMAP in the Settings of your Gmail or Google Apps email account. Eric also mentions that you may need to unlock the captcha.
Kyle and Doc both point out that you need to have Wi-Fi turned off when setting up your email accounts on the Pre. Especially if you are behind a corporate firewall.

Thanks to all visitors for your comments and additional tips…keep em’ coming!

Final Thoughts

I love the Pre. It’s so easy to set up and navigate. Managing multiple email accounts on the Pre is easier than doing so on my laptop. The ability to view and respond to email from “all inboxes” or one specific email account is a productive feature that is long overdue with all email clients in general (i.e. Outlook). I’m going to do some more testing this week and if all goes as planned, it looks like it’s time to say goodbye to the old Exchange server to deliver my critical push email and hello to more Google Apps email!

I heart you Pre!

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Palm Pre Tutorials « Cunningham’s Coffee Corner: Jun 22, 2009 at 5:20 pm
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{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Greg Seely Jun 10, 2009 at 10:25 pm: I already set up my gmail account without these options. Now I get an error message stating that the account already exists. Suggestions?
2 Jeff Garrett Jun 10, 2009 at 10:38 pm: Hi Greg,
I would try deleting the original gmail account that you set up and then set it up again using the settings above. I did this on another Pre today for a different issue and it resolved the problem right away.
3 Eric Marschall Jun 12, 2009 at 12:06 pm: Great article Jeff. Spot on – and now I’ve got my Apps email in sync with my Pre. Delicious!

Only thing I might add, though mildly remedial, is to first activate IMAP in the Settings of the Apps email account, and then to unlock the captcha at https://www.google.com/a/mydomainname.org/UnlockCaptcha Not sure if the latter is required, but I did it anyway. Thanks again!

Eric Marschall’s last blog post..Palm Pre and Me: Networking Fail
4 Jeff Garrett Jun 12, 2009 at 12:47 pm: Good thinking Eric!

I’m not sure about unlocking the captcha but I forgot all about adding the step for activating IMAP in the Apps email settings since I previously had that set up. I’ll have to update the post to mention that part.

Thanks for the comment and heads-up!
5 S.D. Helling Jun 17, 2009 at 11:08 pm: Will this work as a pop3 account or do you use different settings?
6 Jeff Garrett Jun 17, 2009 at 11:23 pm: Hi S.D.
I know you can certainly setup new email accounts on the Pre using POP3 but I’m not sure if the same settings would apply. You could give it a shot and you’ll know within a minute or two if the settings don’t take – based on whether or not it successfully syncs. If not, just delete the new account and no harm done.

Just curious, why would you want to use POP3 instead of IMAP?

Thanks
7 Seb Jun 20, 2009 at 8:03 am: This tip saved me – so I’d def. add to the instructions. Otherwise – perfectly clear. Thanks!
8 jaimee Jun 29, 2009 at 11:14 pm: After WEEKS of searching and trying everything I could think of, finally!! You got it, man. I am soooo thankful for this little ditty! You need to get these instructions to Palm or Sprint and Gmail, too! nobody seems to know how to handle the google mail apps version of email.

Thanks again, you are a lifesaver!
9 Jeff Garrett Jun 30, 2009 at 9:14 am: Thanks Jaimee, I appreciate that. Good to hear!
10 Donny B Jun 30, 2009 at 10:39 am: Jeff,
I also use google apps and have about 7 email address, some also using domain named alias. I have successfully synched the Google apps account with the pre. But: What I love about google apps is it allows me to answer my emails from the same address the email was addressed to – or if i wanted to – use the drop down box and reply from a different email address.
Right now it appears that on the Pre I can only send messages from the main account – though I am receiving emails from all 7 accounts – I have to answer the emails from the main email account addy. Is there any way to get the full functionality of google apps on the pre?
THanks for you help!
11 Jeff Garrett Jun 30, 2009 at 11:14 am: Donny B,

I agree, the way the Pre manages multiple email accounts is my favorite feature. I wish they had a desktop client that could do the same!

As for your problem sending emails, you might try double checking your “Outgoing Mail Server” settings and also make sure you have IMAP activated for each of your Google accounts. I had the same problem with one account last week and when double-checking the settings, it turned out I had the wrong port number. I changed it to Port 465 and it began sending email flawlessly!

Thanks for the comment. Let me know how it goes.
12 Donny B Jun 30, 2009 at 11:54 am: Ok thanks,
I checked it but in my google apps only the main account allows for an IMAP of or on setting – i’m assuming this then applies it to every email? -but not sure.
Did you add each email individually as ‘Add An Account’. Or did all your email in apps synch up automatically by you adding the main account only?
Thanks!
13 Jeff Garrett Jul 1, 2009 at 1:57 pm: Hi Donny,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you here. Are you talking about the Settings > Accounts tab within your Google Apps email? Did you add additional emails there and then add ONLY your main account to the Pre using the steps I outlined above?

If that is the case, I would suggest adding each account on its own. I’m guessing you can probably manage them the same when you are logged into your Google Apps email on your desktop and it should allow you to send and receive from all of them on the Pre. You’ll need to do each one by clicking “Add An Account” and choosing manual setup.

Let me know if that does the trick!
14 Kyle Jul 2, 2009 at 11:35 am: I have a quick question if I could get some help it would be greatly appreciated!
I have google apps and gmail, I had no prob setting up gmail with 3 accounts, when trying to set up google apps, first as POP, I was able to send emails, but not receive. I followed your instructions on how to set up imap, I checked and rechecked my settings, then checked again, iv unlocked captcha, made sure imap is enabled in google apps. now i get an error saying”unable to validate account settings. please check the settings and try again later.”
any ideas that i could try?
thank you very much !
15 Jeff Garrett Jul 2, 2009 at 3:49 pm: Hi Kyle,
I would suggest deleting the accounts you originally set up as POP and enter them back in as new accounts using the steps above for IMAP. I know it sounds like a silly answer – it reminds me of the standard troubleshooting steps for my cable box or modem – unplug, wait for 30 seconds, and plug back in, however, it seems to work for me.

Let me know if that works.
16 Kyle Jul 2, 2009 at 4:06 pm: Lol wait I forgot to plug my phone in to the modem and turn it on!
just kidding. Actually thats exactly what I did, i had to delete the POP account on my phone because it wouldnt let me swith to imap directly. so I deleted it and setup as imap, leading to the error i referenced. i just tried again and still same error. I even tried setting up POP again and still able to send out mail through POP but not in. and Outlook on my computer works fine using same imap settings.
I do feel like im missing something basic , but maybe not, who knows! not me anyway
Thank you so much again for your help!
17 Jeff Garrett Jul 2, 2009 at 4:12 pm: Hmmmm, not sure. Did you try powering down the Pre and turning it back on? Ha!

You might try taking it to a Sprint Service Center and let them have a look. Sorry I couldn’t have been more help.

Thanks!
18 Kyle Jul 2, 2009 at 4:15 pm: no i havnt tried that, good idea though!
You have been very helpful, and i very much appreciate it!

Thank you!
19 Kyle Jul 2, 2009 at 5:19 pm: Figured it out, have to turn off Wifi. then works fine!
20 docwes Jul 6, 2009 at 9:46 am: Yes make sure when u are setting these accounts up you turn off wifi especially if u are behind a coporate firewall or you will be endlessly frustrated. It works suprisingly great the pre rocks~

Doc
21 Jeff Garrett Jul 7, 2009 at 9:22 am: Kyle & Doc,

Thanks for the heads-up on turning off wi-fi when setting up your email accounts. I haven’t had a problem with that yet, but see how it could create some problems. I’ll be sure to update the post with the information.

Thanks again!
22 Dylan Andersen Jul 13, 2009 at 11:40 pm: Is it necessary to set “Sync” to “GET EMAIL” to the option of “As it arrives” ? This wasn’t mentioned.
23 Michael Stone Jul 15, 2009 at 12:17 pm: Jeff:

As everyoine else has said, thanks so much for the instructions. I did have to do it twice, the first try worked fine but then it stopped being fine after which I was told to update my software and start over. I have and all systems are go.

Thanks,

Mike
24 Jeff Garrett Jul 16, 2009 at 8:47 am: Hi Dylan,
You can set the “get email” option to any option you prefer depending on how often you want the Pre to sync your email. To achieve “Push” email, yes, you would want to set the Pre to get it “as it arrives.” The only negative to setting them to “as it arrives” is that it could drain your battery life faster. I would suggest using “as it arrives” on your critical email address (i.e. work) and setting your personal email to sync every 15 or 30 minutes – or longer depending on your preferences.
25 Jeff Garrett Jul 16, 2009 at 8:48 am: Thanks Mike, I appreciate it!
26 Michael Stone Jul 16, 2009 at 11:13 am: Dear Jeff:

Well I have, subsequent to our email, had to REPLACE my Pre! Also to no avail. Weird thing: we load gmail. it loads–then it stops grabbing new gmail email as soon as it finsishes loading the mail up to that moment… Awaiting Sprint tech’s diagnosis.

Have you heard of this disease? I mean we have been all over the map on this, changing pop to imap and back again, etc. Making sure that captcha is unlocked.

Thanks,
Mike
27 Jeff Garrett Jul 17, 2009 at 9:43 am: Hi Michael,

That is strange. It’s a good thing you have the Sprint techs helping on this one. Did you, by chance, have wi-fi turned on when setting up the email accounts? If so, you might want to try wiping them all away, turning off wi-fi, and set them back up again.

Jeff
28 Becky P Jul 18, 2009 at 3:33 pm: Thank you, Jeff! You just saved me from throwing my brand new Pre at the wall!
29 Liz Jul 20, 2009 at 7:48 am: Thank you so much! These instructions are awesome (for my work that uses a gmail app). So much for the Sprint store rep who says “the Pre can’t get work email.”
30 Jeff Garrett Jul 20, 2009 at 10:42 am: Becky P. and Liz -
Glad I was able to help…thanks very much!
Jeff

P.S. Liz, that Sprint rep should probably go find another job That’s ridiculous!
31 Anya Jul 23, 2009 at 5:59 pm: NEED HELP! Got my palm pre today, and it will not load my regualr gmail account. It added my hotmail, but will not add my gmail. gives me either a message saying password incorrect and to log in online error message, or it takes me to the page where I have to input all these components above (top of this page). When I do that, it gives another error message. Someone please help! I justw ould like my normal email set up on here!!
32 jason Jul 26, 2009 at 4:22 pm: I set up the account using the instructions at the top, it work 1 st try, but the only way i can get an email is if i have the wi-fi turned on. Any input would be great thanks
33 Arlene Jul 28, 2009 at 3:22 pm: I am able to receive email all of the time, send email some of the time, and reply to and forward email none of the time. What can I do?
34 tamara Jul 29, 2009 at 12:35 pm: another option…which i’m guessing is a recent development…i found this set of instructions on google’s help pages, and was able to successfully set up my google apps email. only tried it with one, though, so not sure how it will handle multiple addresses.

View instructions for Google Apps email addresses

To configure the Palm Pre’s built-in email app for access to Google Apps email, we recommend against setting up your account through the ‘Email’ program. Instead, just follow the steps below to set up Google Apps through the ‘Contacts’ app:

1. On your phone, open the Contacts app
2. In the top left corner, open the menu by tapping Contacts
3. Tap Preferences & Accounts
4. Scroll down and tap the Add An Account button
5. Tap Google
6. Enter your full Google Apps email address and password
7. Tap the Sign In button

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=150695
35 Jeff Garrett Jul 31, 2009 at 7:59 am: Hi Anya,
Sorry for the delay in response. Were you able to get your Gmail account set up on the Pre yet? If not, make sure your wifi signal is turned off, delete any records of your Gmail account that remain on your Pre and start the above process over again. Be sure that you have turned on IMAP in your Gmail account first.

Let me know if that doesn’t work and try to give me the exact error messages you are getting.
Thanks,
Jeff
36 Jeff Garrett Jul 31, 2009 at 8:01 am: Hi Jason,
Sounds like you had the wifi turned on when you originally set up the account on your Pre. Try deleting the account then turn off your wifi signal, then repeat the instructions above. Afterwards your Pre should be able to send/receive email with your wifi antenna turned on or off. Let me know if that doesn’t work.

Thanks,
Jeff
37 Jeff Garrett Jul 31, 2009 at 8:04 am: Hi Arlene,

It sounds like you may have the wrong port number set up for the outgoing mail server. Make sure you checked “Yes” for encryption and used SSL and entered port 465. If it doesn’t work after making those changes, or if you were already using those settings, I’d delete the account off your Pre and start over.

Just curious, was this on a Gmail account or a Google Apps account?

Thanks,
Jeff
38 Jeff Garrett Jul 31, 2009 at 8:10 am: Hi Tamara,

Thanks for sharing that information. That is fairly recent news (7/23/09) and very interesting. I have had a few issues with contact info not syncing the best. I may delete all of my email accounts and try setting them up again going through the “Contacts” app instead of the “Email” app.

Thanks again!
Jeff
39 Benjamin C. Mooney Aug 1, 2009 at 10:46 pm: So what is the difference on this vs the default way the pre sets up your email.?
40 Eddie DeGuzman Aug 21, 2009 at 9:47 am: Jeff

I did everything you said to do but it somehow telling me that i may not able to send mails out and i did a test sent and it did fail can u help thanks.

also i was wondering i just got a new palm pre and my contacts did not sync. is there a way to still retrieve my contacts?

thanks
Eddie
41 Steve B Aug 26, 2009 at 8:05 pm: Thanks, Jeff. You helped made my wife happy!
42 Benjamin C. Mooney Aug 26, 2009 at 9:07 pm: Here are the advanatages…
43 Jeff Garrett Aug 27, 2009 at 8:51 am: Hi Ben,

Thanks for posting the link! My apologies for not being able to get back to your question earlier. I did have to edit your comment a bit to get the link to work. Seems I need to do some work to get the URL links working.

That’s a very good summary of the advantages of IMAP.

Thanks again!
Jeff
44 Jeff Garrett Aug 27, 2009 at 9:01 am: Hi Eddie,
I would delete the account and start over again. Make sure your email account has IMAP enabled first, then double-check the inbound and outbound port numbers. If you enter the incorrect outbound port number you won’t be able to send email. As for the contacts, they should sync as well as soon as your email begins syncing. Give it another try and let me know how it goes.
Jeff
45 Loren Aug 31, 2009 at 11:05 pm: Ok, I think I got all of this. Let me phrase my question to make sure.

If I understand this correctly in setting up the sync is I need to have one pro account as my center for calendar, contacts etc in Google. I have both personal gmail accounts and of course my primary business account of my name@company name that is a Google virtual office location. A custom domain from a Google docs location. I could not figure out how to load this name@company.com and have the pre recognize this and sync to this location.

If I follow this:
Mail Type: IMAP
Email Address:

Google Apps users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@yourdomain.com).
Gmail users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@gmail.com).
Incoming Mail Server
Server Name: imap.gmail.com
Username: Same as you entered for Email Address above.

Google Apps users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@yourdomain.com).
Gmail users – Enter your full email address (i.e. username@gmail.com).
Password: Enter your password.
Port #: 993
Encryption: SSL

Outgoing Mail Server
Server Name: smtp.gmail.com
Use Authentication: Yes
Port#: 465
Encryption: SSL

Root Folder: leave blank

And then make this my default folder location for email. Will the pre treat this email address name@company.com as the primary calendar and contacts to sync with? As that office email account is set up to sync with Outlook then. I have succeeded in setting this up with name@gmail.com and sync all my contacts and calendar, but that is not my central working point. I need it at the custom email address name@company.com (Google docs location).

I hope this made sense as I am learning on all this new stuff.

Thank you…you are a savior!
46 georgette lake Sep 1, 2009 at 9:45 am: I am trying to set up my pop3 email on the pre and I cannot get it to work, it is defaulting to IMAP on the pre and I tap it to change but nothing, can I not get my regular work emails?
47 Souheil Sep 2, 2009 at 11:11 am: Hi Jeff,

Just got my Palm Pre and tried to set up my Google Apps email address by following to the letter your procedure but kept getting an invalid responce. The only thing I could not do was the “unlock the captcha” part. Everytime I clicked on that I get an server error message from the Google Server. Since I have my profile setup with another gmail account on the phone, could that be the problem?

Thanks a bunch
48 Jeff Garrett Sep 4, 2009 at 9:19 am: Hi Georgette,
That doesn’t sound right. You might try deleting the account you set up, powering down the Pre, and setting the account back up after rebooting. If possible, I’d suggest using the IMAP setup instead of the POP3 though. Have you tried using it?
49 Jeff Garrett Sep 4, 2009 at 9:26 am: Hi Souheil,

I’m a little confused on what you’re doing. The captcha problem you are referring to is within your Google Apps Admin panel, is that correct? Not sure what to do about that. Maybe leave it alone and come back to it a bit later. As for setting up your email accounts on the Pre, you should be able to set up multiple Gmail or Google Apps email accounts no problem. I have 3 Google Apps emails and 1 Gmail account set up on mine now – all using the IMAP instructions above.
50 Amos Nessim Sep 16, 2009 at 9:37 am: Hi Jeff,

You saved me with one e-mail account but cant figure out why the second one isnt working.
The email address that is not working is mail@theallseeingeye.biz. I have tried the same gmail set-up which you have posted. All my settings on both e-mail accounts are the same. However, in the mail@… I am getting the following error:
The mail server responded: Invalid credentials 42if11727pxi.19

Any idea?

Thank you!