[rider2040]

One of the most important things that I do with my phone is manage email. Every day I read about 100 emails and then move them into folders. I am finding that when I read an email and then move it to a folder it gets marked as read. But, ten minutes later, the email is marked as unread - then I have to go to each of the 23 different folders I use and manually mark the emails as read.

Is anyone else having a similar issue?

[ousooner314]

In my experience, the problem is lack of automated syncing from the device back to the server. Some people have mentioned (in other posts) that this is Microsoft's intended way of implementing ActiveSync.. hopefully they revise this recommendation because it's definitely not user friendly. The workaround is to force sync after each operation - do a manual sync after reading a new mail, then do another manual sync after moving it to a subfolder. That's they only way to avoid seeing unread emails in subfolders on your email client.

[rider2040]

I sure as **** hope that this is Not how they intend for this to work! Every other device that I have ever used to manage email has not had this problem (laptop with outlook, windows 8 mail client, iPhone, iPad, HTC Trophy). I can't believe that they launched this product without proper implementation of their own technology - not to mention that it is also one of the most important functions for any business user.

Pardon me, but I need to go use my Ipad to mark all of my email as read.

[ousooner314]

I wholeheartedly agree, and if I recall correctly, this is done to conserve battery life. I honestly feel their efforts to conserve battery life is impacting effective usability. The lack of automated syncing from device-to-server dates back to the Windows Mobile days. There's a feature request on uservoice (albeit isn't receiving a lot of votes, yet), that asks for full syncing like that available on iOS and Android. Hopefully, Microsoft takes note and implements it.

[rider2040]

I just verified that this problem exists with my Gmail account as well. Seriously?! What a f'ing joke!

At this point, there is no way that I could recommend WP8 to someone that actually uses their phone for work. There are just too many extra steps involved to achieve the most basic functionality.

[ousooner314]

Here's the feature I suggested on uservoice; feel free to vote - Two-way full email sync. Also, if there's a more popular entry, please let me know so we can focus all our votes in one place.

[rider2040]

I just added three votes to your suggestion. Thanks!

[rider2040]

Also, I think that the problem I am having is mostly related to moving the items into a new folder. I can read an email in the inbox and then sync so that it shows up as read on the server. But, when I use my phone to move that read item into a sub folder and sync it, it then shows up as unread. WTF?

[ousooner314]

In my experience, it seems like the manual sync only syncs the last action performed on the email. So, if I read an email, moved it to a sub folder and did a sync, it would show an unread email in the sub folder. However, if I read an email, did a sync, moved it to a sub folder, and did a sync again, it would show the email (as read) in the sub folder.

[Funky Cricket]

Well, okay, I starting to browse the forums to find out what issue there are before I start to commit. This is a big one. I travel alot for my job (IT managed services provider) and I am always doing email on my phone. I had better have synced read, delete and moved items, or the email client will be useless. This is active sync for gods sake, not manual sync, it's IN THE NAME!

[iamtim]

I can't believe that they launched this product without proper implementation of their own technology

As I understand it, If you look at the EAS specification, this is proper implementation of their own technology. Other vendors (and Microsoft at times) have built additional functionality onto the base specification to allow for what you're doing. I figure this is one of the corners they cut to release on time and we'll hopefully see the additional functionality in a future update.

[rider2040]

In my experience, it seems like the manual sync only syncs the last action performed on the email. So, if I read an email, moved it to a sub folder and did a sync, it would show an unread email in the sub folder. However, if I read an email, did a sync, moved it to a sub folder, and did a sync again, it would show the email (as read) in the sub folder.

I think that this is my real issue. I could probably live with a slight delay from when I make the changes to when they get synced. What I can't live with is having the sync being incomplete (ie, only syncing the last action).

[rider2040]

As I understand it, If you look at the EAS specification, this is proper implementation of their own technology. Other vendors (and Microsoft at times) have built additional functionality onto the base specification to allow for what you're doing. I figure this is one of the corners they cut to release on time and we'll hopefully see the additional functionality in a future update.

hmm...I don't buy it. Every other microsoft platform that I use has no problem handling it (Outlook, Windows 8 Metro email client, Outlook Webapp). This is just poor implementation and totally unacceptable.

Besides, every competing smartphone platform has proper support.

[rider2040]

So, I am finding that my email is now syncing properly. Both when I read and also when I move emails. I don't think that there have been any updates to the system. Is it possible there were changes on the Exchange Online platform? Is anyone else seeing improved syncing performance?

[rider2040]

Nope, I was wrong. Sync is still f'd up. Items marked as read become unread when I sync.

[iamtim]

hmm...I don't buy it. Every other microsoft platform that I use has no problem handling it (Outlook, Windows 8 Metro email client, Outlook Webapp). This is just poor implementation and totally unacceptable.

Besides, every competing smartphone platform has proper support.

Did you actually read what I wrote...? Or...?

[rider2040]

I did read what you wrote. I think that it is a weak excuse to say that this is "proper implementation" when every other platform (including the brand new W8 mail client) has the "additional functionality" of folder syncing. I'm just not willing to give MS a pass on this one. It is poor support and a meaningful step behind every other platform available.

[jedwardmiller]

I don't bother moving email to folders on my phone...way too many folders to try to do that. I just read and respond and then move what I need in outlook. Doing it this way keeps me from having any issues.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

[casab1anca]

Also, I think that the problem I am having is mostly related to moving the items into a new folder.

This also affects deleted items on my Outlook.com account (I guess that counts as "moving the item" to the Deleted folder). Whenever I delete a mail from WP after reading it, it shows up as unread mail in the Deleted folder on the web client.

[Michael4000]

This is a "no go" for me. I get too many emails to fiddle around with an incomplete implemention of an email client.

Time for some new management at Microsoft. They need managers who are detail oriented.

Michael

[manicottiK]

I do think that there are two issues here and that one seems like a defect and the other seems like an unpopular choice.

Regarding the read/unread flag and moving items, I repeated what the OP said then took it a step further. I read a message on the phone, returned to the list of messages, synced so that the server did know that the message was read. Then I opened the message again, moved it, and resynced. When I synced on my desktop Outlook, the message was marked as unread. This seems like a defect.

Regarding the lack of sync on delete, MS seems to have designed things around a use case that I think of as my "wake up a do email" chore. I get up in the morning, grab my phone, open email, and start deleting all of the crap that came in over night then reading the good stuff. Since it is likely that one delete is going to follow another and that one read/unread status change is going to follow another, it is more efficient from a battery and network perspective to do a "lazy" sync after it's clear that I'm finished the larger "do email" chore than it is to sync immediately upon each action. I don't know how much lag the phone allows before it syncs these cached changes, but it is long enough that I sometimes get to my laptop and see messages that I know I deleted.

The suggested work-around is to manually sync after your "do email" chore (not after each delete/read/move) if you need the server and other sync'd clients to see those changes immediately.

An improvement that MS could make that would still preserve most of the battery and network efficiencies would be to check for queued updates and to automatically invoke a sync for them when the email app is left (either to go to the Start screen, to another app, or to the lock screen). That would still result in just one sync operation, but it would mean that our computers matched our phones pretty quickly. It would not let you use your phone in front of your computer and watch Outlook update live. Some of you may want that, but I would argue that the functional need for that seems like it isn't worth the battery usage. Android may do it, but maybe that's part of why we mock them for their battery life issues.

[ousooner314]

I think it's best for Microsoft to just give users the option to automatically sync after every operation. Even if their intent is to save battery life and data usage, nearly every one of us are using the workaround, and therefore negating the said "benefits". I think it's time Microsoft started focusing on usability. I've made a feature request for this on the Windows Phone User Voice page. Feel free to vote if interested - Two-way full email sync.

[Michael4000]

Vote submitted.

While it may be possible to implement a workaround with manual syncs, you can't expect the average person/employee to do that, or even remember to do that.

It seems like Microsoft has the wrong management in place for getting into the phone market. They need people who are fanatics about phones, not people they shifted over from the computer platforms. Also their top management needs to get out of the way so the phone people can get their job done, 100% done.

Michael.