Email sync is slow or stuck: how to fix it
In short
The first sync of a mailbox with lots of messages downloads the headers first and then the previews, and can take anywhere from a few minutes to longer: you can use the app in the meantime. If mail stops updating, check the mailbox status and your connection, then use “Refresh all mailboxes”.
Why is the first sync slow?#
Because Mailamber downloads your mail to your device instead of reading it from a cloud. It does this in stages, shown in the status bar at the bottom: Reading folders…, then the headers, and finally the message previews. Recent messages arrive first; mailboxes with tens of thousands of emails take longer, especially if the provider throttles IMAP connections. You can read and write while syncing continues.
When it’s done you see Synced and then Listening for new mail: from then on, new mail arrives in real time.
New mail isn’t arriving on my PC: what should I check?#
- The mailbox status in the sidebar: Offline points to a network problem; Password needs updating means the password needs updating (solutions).
- Your connection: VPNs, proxies or firewalls can cut the long-lived connections Mailamber keeps open with the server.
- Refresh manually with Refresh all mailboxes.
- If the status bar shows “Engine unavailable — reconnecting…”, wait a few seconds: the mail engine restarts by itself. If it stays that way, quit Mailamber from the system tray (Quit) and open it again.
Why do messages arrive later on my phone?#
On Android the app checks for mail in the background about every 15 minutes, and Android can delay the check to save battery. With the app open, pull the list down to refresh right away. See Android notifications and battery.
Does my provider limit connections?#
Some providers allow only a few simultaneous IMAP connections per mailbox. If you use the same mailbox in many programs and devices at once, some connections may be refused or slowed down: close the clients you aren’t using.