Best email app for Android?

[MannDude]

I use whatever the stock app is now, it sucks.

I'm setting up a new email account for urgent emails. These are notifications about invoices I've got due, monitoring up/down time alerts, etc. It's very important that I actually get notified via an audible sound upon arrival of any new email to this address. Since whatever I am using now sucks for general email, I'd like to use something different for my urgent address.

Any suggestions?

Volume of email will hopefully be real low. I've got no real need in writing email from the app, I only need to receive them and be alerted audibly of new emails instantly.

 

[clarity]

Can you not use an IFFTT recipe for a particular account? It can send you a text on message arrival, I believe.

 

[MannDude]

Can you not use an IFFTT recipe for a particular account? It can send you a text on message arrival, I believe.

I've never heard of that before. I ignore the text message alert sound. I basically just want something that I can setup to alert me with other sound, one that I associate only with, 'Ah shit, I need to do something right -now-'.

 

[nunim]

Honestly, the best email app is GMail but if you need support for multiple mail servers then take a look at K-9 Mail or AquaMail.  You should be able to set your "important email" account to use different notification sounds in almost any mail client, including the default "Email" app.  For the "Email" app, you just need to go to Account Settings > Entire Settings > Notification sound and ensure you set it to something you'll recognize.

For the Android Email app (not carrier customized):

Settings > Select Account > Notification Settings: Choose Ringtone

The email apps from newer builds of Android aren't so bad, they're much more GMail like, if you have root you may be able to replace you shitty carrier or older Mail app with a newer version. You may not require root, make a backup and try upgrading: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507820 (the email app from 4.4 kitkat)

 

[perennate]

The best email application for Android is certainly K-9 Mail. It's free (as in freedom) software, supports multiple protocols (POP3, IMAP, Exchange), supports PGP (if AGP is installed; support includes both receiving and sending mail), and has a nice set of features. It has notifications and I'm pretty sure it is set on an account-level. It uses minimal battery life if you disable polling (but presumably you want polling if you want notifications). It supports unified inbox if desired.

 

[notFound]

Definitely K-9 Mail without a doubt.

 

[domainsvm]

This is nice! I am trying K-9 right now.

I have problems with default email app, as it does not sync correctly with my IMAP server, and I don't even realizae why...

 

[nunim]

I'm really loving the KitKat Email app, it's essentially like the GMail app with the branding stripped out. 

 

[MannDude]

Well, k9 mail doesn't poll properly for some reason:



Shows it should poll every 5 minutes.

I've sent myself test emails and had someone else do it to, with no luck. I never got notified. When looking at the inbox it shows that syncing is disabled. Bummer.



Any ideas?

Now... do I need to enable syncing system wide? I have that disabled, because I want to prevent syncing things I do with my Google accounts. If that's the case, then I'm not going to proceed any further with this.



I don't trust my phone... I don't want to enable syncing system wide. I'm already super pissed that it imported ALL my Google contacts into my contact list... I don't recall being asked 'Yes or No' for that. If I have to enable syncing system wide, how do I prevent my phone from syncing all my images with Google drive? From adding more useless contacts that aren't 'in real life' friends and family that I want to contact?

I hate smartphones.

 

[drmike]

K9 mail.... it's what all the cool kids do.

The system wide sync is likely your issue.

I'll monkey with this overnight and see where K9 trips up.... Have the same need / issue myself... So good to group co-operate on this and debug.

 

[fizzyjoe908]

K9 mail is supreme to all.

As far as syncing goes, not sure why that doesn't work for you. I setup all my accounts there with 5 minute intervals and it works just fine.

 

[MannDude]

K9 mail is supreme to all.

As far as syncing goes, not sure why that doesn't work for you. I setup all my accounts there with 5 minute intervals and it works just fine.

Do you have to have syncing enabled system wide?

 

[Jamson]

I use Aquamail over the stock email app. I just tried its option to sync with autosync off, and it worked fine for me (but i have push off, not sure if that'll make a difference).

 

[drmike]

I am about to do the Aquamail dance.  Someone else mentioned it in PM elsewhere.  Folks should give it a look.

 

[fizzyjoe908]

Do you have to have syncing enabled system wide?

Come to find out that I do.

 

[MannDude]

Well, I enabled syncing system wide before I went to bed.

I woke up this morning and found my photos synced, via some Google image app I've never accessed before, to my Google account. Nope.

I've since been able to withdraw access to that app, but not going to sync system wide.

Is there no other way? Do I have to have this enabled system wide just so ONE app can sync? This is very, very discouraging.

 

[drmike]

What was that app that hijacked your photos?

 

[MannDude]

What was that app that hijacked your photos?

"Auto Awesome"?

EDIT: Err, appears to have been the Google Plus app? Fuck if I know.

 

[drmike]

Google Plus now with extra stupidity.

 

[nunim]

Well, I enabled syncing system wide before I went to bed.

I woke up this morning and found my photos synced, via some Google image app I've never accessed before, to my Google account. Nope.

I've since been able to withdraw access to that app, but not going to sync system wide.

Is there no other way? Do I have to have this enabled system wide just so ONE app can sync? This is very, very discouraging.

I believe you need system wide sync, but if you don't want anything but your email accounts to sync it's easy enough to setup.  Go to Settings > Accounts & Sync



Pick the accounts we want to disable Syncing on, in this case probably Google.  



So then pick your Google Account, if you have Google Plus on any of your Accounts you want to go there as well:



Disable everything you don't want to have synced, as I said if you have Google+ you'll want to disable that as well.



Go back to the Accounts & Sync page and select Email this time.  Select your account whatever@vpsb, and make sure you have sync enabled for that account:



Now you should be good to enable Global Sync without Google screwing with your stuff.