Enable Gmail Push Support on the iPhone

I’ve always been a GMail fanboy – excluding one feature: push support for the iPhone. I can’t explain why, but it really irks me when Allie is notified instantly when she receives a new Yahoo email – probably from Old Navy – while I must wait 15 minutes for the iPhone to further drain my battery and fetch new emails. I should note that typically, I don’t last that long before manually refreshing, but that’s neither here nor there! Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Settings

First, on your iPhone, go into Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and delete your current Gmail account; we’ll be creating a new one.

Step 2: Microsoft Exchange

Next, while still in “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” click “Add Account.” This time, rather than “Gmail,” choose “Microsoft Exchange.”

1. Email field : Your full Gmail email address
2. Domain field : Leave blank
3. Username field : Your full Gmail email address
4. Password field : Duh…enter your password!

When you’ve filled out those fields, click “Next.” You might receive an alert that says, “Unable to Verify Certificate.” Just click Okay.

Step 3: New Server Field

Now, the page will reload, and you’ll see a new Server textbox. Type m.google.com, and click “Next” again. Within the next screen, just make sure that “Mail” is selected, and you’re done! Super easy!

Keep in Mind

1. You might notice a decrease in battery life.
2. You can only use one Exchange account at a time on the iPhone.
3. Is immediate notification necessarily a good thing? I’m not sure about you, but I feel split a second wave of anxiety every time I hear that beep!