Push notification of IMAP subfolders with iOS

[SaintGermain]

Hello,

I haven't been able to make push notifications on IMAP subfolders work on iOS 10.2.1.

I've correctly subscribed the subfolders in Mail | Account | Push | Account name but I don't receive anything when an email arrive.

No problem with the Push notification when the email arrives in the default inbox.

Is it working for you reliably ?

[Pfolson]

Interestingly, I've had problems with this too, but only when using the imap.fastmail.com server. When I use my "Old FastMail" account, which is set up to use mail.messagingengine.com, push continues to work as well as it always did on all of my subfolders. I've tried turning the newer account off and on, deleting it and recreating it from scratch, but nothing works. When using imap.fastmail.com, I only get push notifications on the Inbox and none for subfolders.

I should file a ticket on this, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

[n5bb]

I'm also not getting reliable push support for folders after trying everything in Fastmail help. The Inbox push is very reliable. I just filed a support request with full details.

Bill

[SaintGermain]

Originally Posted by Pfolson

Interestingly, I've had problems with this too, but only when using the imap.fastmail.com server. When I use my "Old FastMail" account, which is set up to use mail.messagingengine.com, push continues to work as well as it always did on all of my subfolders. I've tried turning the newer account off and on, deleting it and recreating it from scratch, but nothing works. When using imap.fastmail.com, I only get push notifications on the Inbox and none for subfolders.

I should file a ticket on this, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

You're right ! I remember that it was working perfectly with mail.messagingengine.com. Glad to see that it's not me then.

[SaintGermain]

Originally Posted by n5bb

I'm also not getting reliable push support for folders after trying everything in Fastmail help. The Inbox push is very reliable. I just filed a support request with full details.

Bill

Thanks ! Please keep us updated so I won't have to bother Fastmail with another ticket.

[SaintGermain]

I wanted to use a workaround by using the Fastmail app to get the notifications, but it seems that even the Fastmail app doesn't have notifications on subfolders :
http://www.emaildiscussions.com/showthread.php?t=71680

[Pfolson]

Originally Posted by SaintGermain

I wanted to use a workaround by using the Fastmail app to get the notifications, but it seems that even the Fastmail app doesn't have notifications on subfolders :
http://www.emaildiscussions.com/showthread.php?t=71680

That's right. Although as you can see from that thread, it's one of the improvements some of us have been waiting for ever since the apps were released.

Frankly, I've kind of given up waiting, since it was mentioned by FM staff soon after the apps were unveiled but has not yet arrived and has never been mentioned again. In the meantime, I've grown quite happy with push on IOS Mail. With the combination of push and some of the general improvements that Apple has added to Mail these past few years, that client is just about all I could wish for when it comes to managing mobile e-mail.

As you can tell, subfolder notifications are kind of a deal-breaker for me. I don't mind checking out clients without it, and I have tried a number of times over the years to adjust my workflow to use other methods -- namely, the Gmail (and now FastMail) model of having all mail delivered to the Inbox and using archive and search to find old messages. But in the end I always go back to my old-school "many folders" approach, and because of that I need those notifications.

I'm relieved that I can still use mail.messagingengine.com to receive push notifications during this current IOS "glitch."

[SaintGermain]

Originally Posted by Pfolson

That's right. Although as you can see from that thread, it's one of the improvements some of us have been waiting for ever since the apps were released.

Frankly, I've kind of given up waiting, since it was mentioned by FM staff soon after the apps were unveiled but has not yet arrived and has never been mentioned again. In the meantime, I've grown quite happy with push on IOS Mail. With the combination of push and some of the general improvements that Apple has added to Mail these past few years, that client is just about all I could wish for when it comes to managing mobile e-mail.

As you can tell, subfolder notifications are kind of a deal-breaker for me. I don't mind checking out clients without it, and I have tried a number of times over the years to adjust my workflow to use other methods -- namely, the Gmail (and now FastMail) model of having all mail delivered to the Inbox and using archive and search to find old messages. But in the end I always go back to my old-school "many folders" approach, and because of that I need those notifications.

I'm relieved that I can still use mail.messagingengine.com to receive push notifications during this current IOS "glitch."

I've tried replacing imap.fastmail.com by mail.messagingengine.com but the Push option is then not longer available !
How have you managed to revert to the old method ?

Thanks

[Pfolson]

Originally Posted by SaintGermain

I've tried replacing imap.fastmail.com by mail.messagingengine.com but the Push option is then not longer available !
How have you managed to revert to the old method ?

Hmm ... I'm honestly not sure. I just created a new account with the old credentials, the push option was there, I selected the folders I wanted, and everything worked fine.

The only thing I can think of that might be a little bit unusual is that I did not delete my "regular" FastMail account from the phone when I set up the new mail.messagingengine.com account. I simply created the new one and switched off the old one. So it's still listed in my accounts but designated "Inactive." I can't imagine why that would make a difference, but perhaps ...

[SaintGermain]

Originally Posted by Pfolson

Hmm ... I'm honestly not sure. I just created a new account with the old credentials, the push option was there, I selected the folders I wanted, and everything worked fine.

The only thing I can think of that might be a little bit unusual is that I did not delete my "regular" FastMail account from the phone when I set up the new mail.messagingengine.com account. I simply created the new one and switched off the old one. So it's still listed in my accounts but designated "Inactive." I can't imagine why that would make a difference, but perhaps ...

For instance, are you using your Fastmail password to get access to mail.messagingengine.com ?
I remember that it has to be done that way before.
It doesn't seem possible now, I have to create a specific password for each app and computer.
I don't know how it is possible to have access to mail.messagingengine.com with your Fastmail password and an app-specific password at the same time.
Perhaps that's the problem ?

[Pfolson]

Originally Posted by SaintGermain

For instance, are you using your Fastmail password to get access to mail.messagingengine.com ?
I remember that it has to be done that way before.
It doesn't seem possible now, I have to create a specific password for each app and computer.
I don't know how it is possible to have access to mail.messagingengine.com with your Fastmail password and an app-specific password at the same time.
Perhaps that's the problem ?

My imap.fastmail.com account (which is switched off and inactive at the moment) uses an app-specific password.

My mail.messagingengine.com account (the one I'm currently using) uses my main FastMail password. In other words, I have it set up exactly the way mail accounts were set up for years, before they introduced the new server and app passwords.

[SaintGermain]

Originally Posted by Pfolson

My imap.fastmail.com account (which is switched off and inactive at the moment) uses an app-specific password.

My mail.messagingengine.com account (the one I'm currently using) uses my main FastMail password. In other words, I have it set up exactly the way mail accounts were set up for years, before they introduced the new server and app passwords.

That's it then. I cannot use mail.messagingengine.com with my Fastmail password.
Perhaps the first time you use imap.fastmail.com with an app-specific password, it deactivates the possibility to connect to mail.messagingengine.com with the Fastmail password.

[Pfolson]

Originally Posted by SaintGermain

That's it then. I cannot use mail.messagingengine.com with my Fastmail password.
Perhaps the first time you use imap.fastmail.com with an app-specific password, it deactivates the possibility to connect to mail.messagingengine.com with the Fastmail password.

I don't think so. I was using imap.fastmail.com with the app-specific password up until this push glitch appeared. I tried a couple of things to make it work -- turning it off and back on, erasing it from the phone and recreating it from scratch, but the push problems continued. It was only then that I recreated my old mail.messagingengine.com account and started using that instead.

I never deleted the app-specific password that I set up for my iPhone when I first switched to imap.fastmail.com. It is still listed on the FastMail settings page, along with all the other app passwords I set up for various computers and e-mail clients. Yet despite that, mail.messagingengine.com is working fine.

One other thought -- are you using your iOS app password for other things? CalDav, perhaps? I only use mine for mail. If you are also using it for Calendar, could that be causing the conflict between "old" and "new?"

[SaintGermain]

Originally Posted by Pfolson

I don't think so. I was using imap.fastmail.com with the app-specific password up until this push glitch appeared. I tried a couple of things to make it work -- turning it off and back on, erasing it from the phone and recreating it from scratch, but the push problems continued. It was only then that I recreated my old mail.messagingengine.com account and started using that instead.

I never deleted the app-specific password that I set up for my iPhone when I first switched to imap.fastmail.com. It is still listed on the FastMail settings page, along with all the other app passwords I set up for various computers and e-mail clients. Yet despite that, mail.messagingengine.com is working fine.

One other thought -- are you using your iOS app password for other things? CalDav, perhaps? I only use mine for mail. If you are also using it for Calendar, could that be causing the conflict between "old" and "new?"

Ah I managed to solve it.
It was written on this page:
https://www.fastmail.com/help/accoun...tyupgrade.html

Push unavailable on iOS

This issue tends to surface just after setting up a new profile/updating a profile. Push actually is available. You may need to force-quit the mail app, and/or force-quit the iOS settings app in order to encourage it to recognise how push-y we really are.

I force quit several times the Mail app and the settings app, and retrieve some emails, and then the Push option appears again !
Now I got notifications on subfolders by using mail.messagingengine.com instead of imap.fastmail.com.

Thanks for the workaround !

[Pfolson]

Originally Posted by SaintGermain

Ah I managed to solve it.
It was written on this page:
https://www.fastmail.com/help/accoun...tyupgrade.html


I force quit several times the Mail app and the settings app, and retrieve some emails, and then the Push option appears again !
Now I got notifications on subfolders by using mail.messagingengine.com instead of imap.fastmail.com.

Thanks for the workaround !

Glad you got it sorted out.

Now that you post that little tidbit from the help page, I remember reading it a long time ago. It's one of the reasons that I tried quitting, restarting, etc., when I first began having problems on imap.fastmail.com. Unfortunately, it didn't help with that issue, but I'm glad it worked for you on messagingengine.com!