iPad VM email problem

[Topgun]

Hi. This is slightly complicated but I shall be as brief as I can! When I bought my iPad, they set up my ntlworld email account on it in store. They did this by creating an "Exchange" account using google as the server. In practice, what this means to me, is I can use my iPad to send and receive emails no problem, but, as soon as I go onto my desktop at home and download the emails, they immediately disappear from my iPad. Now, this isn't a problem for me because I still have the emails on my desktop and can choose when to delete them.
Now the problem! On seeing my iPad my seventy five year old mother-in-law decided she wanted one, so I set up her ntlworld account in the same way (previously I used my desktop to get any emails she may have been sent, but on purchase of the iPad, deleted that account from my desktop). The trouble is that a few days after receiving emails, they delete themselves from her iPad, even the ones she wishes to keep.
How do I make it so any emails she receives stay on her iPad until she chooses to delete them? Is it the way the account is set up, or do I have to change some sort of setting in her VM account?
Any suggestions gratefully received.

[BenMcr]

Pretty sure VM have never supported Exchange accounts on Virgin Media mail. Do you have the details of the iPad settings?

[Topgun]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Pretty sure VM have never supported Exchange accounts on Virgin Media mail. Do you have the details of the iPad settings?

Well, all I can tell you Ben is that the accounts have been set up as an "Exchange" account, with the email address and user name being the same thing and the server being "m.google.com". It all works fine, no problems sending or receiving, whether on a VM network or not. The only issue is the emails self deleting when they want to, rather than when my mother-in-law wants them to.
Sorry I can't be more precise but I have to say I find the whole issue very confusing and complicated, I don't mind admitting I am slightly out of my depth here!

[BenMcr]

Hmm, that setup is unsupported by VM - they only guarantee email setup either via POP or IMAP, not via Google's Exchange setup

BTW, even if they did, Google are ditching Exchange support themselves in July, so it would be worth changing to IMAP anyway

[Topgun]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Hmm, that setup is unsupported by VM - they only guarantee email setup either via POP or IMAP, not via Google's Exchange setup

BTW, even if they did, Google are ditching Exchange support themselves in July, so it would be worth changing to IMAP anyway

OK, can I just ask you why IMAP and not POP, and would either or both of those options solve the self deleting issue would you know?

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by Topgun

OK, can I just ask you why IMAP and not POP, and would either or both of those options solve the self deleting issue would you know?

POP is designed to download all email to a device and the delete it from the server.

IMAP is designed to access a remote email box, and keep the emails on the server until they are deleted, so works much better for multiple devices.

Personally I always set mobile devices up as IMAP, as it means any emails you want to keep aren't just on the mobile device - so if you lose it, you don't lose the emails.

As long as you set the iOS device to see all emails then it should fix the problem

[Topgun]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

POP is designed to download all email to a device and the delete it from the server.

IMAP is designed to access a remote email box, and keep the emails on the server until they are deleted, so works much better for multiple devices

Personally I always set mobile devices up as IMAP, as it means any emails you want to keep aren't just on the mobile device - so if you lose it, you don't lose the emails

Ok, thanks for your help Ben. I'll try setting up an IMAP account and see what happens. If it works, I'll post the settings I use back on here, just in case anybody else is having the same issue!
Thanks again, very helpful as always

[Eeeps]

Originally Posted by Topgun

Ok, thanks for your help Ben. I'll try setting up an IMAP account and see what happens. If it works, I'll post the settings I use back on here, just in case anybody else is having the same issue!
Thanks again, very helpful as always

Google have already dropped Exchange support for new devices (or if you delete and try and re-setup an account profile on the same device).

If you want to keep Exchange (active sync) then DO NOT DELTE the account profile on your device.

Regarding the removal of e-mails from the iPAD, the e-mails should still be present on the server, it's just the number of days that the iPAD syncs with the server. This is a setting that can be changed on the iPAD under mail settings. IIR it's a global setting that affects all accounts.

In your case where the mails got removed from the iPAD after accessing via your desktop, this may be caused by a setting on your desktop that removes them from the server after they have been downloaded. What protocol are you using to access your e-mail from your desktop (POP3, IMAP, ActiveSync?)

BTW, the Exchange Active Sync protocal was the best on the iPAD since it provided a working Push email system sending emails to the device as soon as they arrived at the server. IMAP on the iPAD does not have this (this is provided by IMAP-IDLE that is not implemented on iOS). In this case the iPAD must be set to poll the server at intervals.

[Topgun]

Thanks for your detailed reply Eeeps, I have to say I didn't think it was all going to be so complicated! I have eventually managed to successfully set up IMAP email accounts on both my iPad and iPhone, despite the wrong port number being entered automatically for sending messages, but I figured it out in the end and it works! Re your last paragraph, I have noticed that the emails don't get "pushed" quite as quickly as before, but they get there in the end and I can live with that.
The only minor issue is that when I delete a message from the iPad, it now disappears from the server and therefore won't appear on the desktop, (which is a POP3 account) which I would like it to do. I assume there is a setting I need to tweak in my VM mail account settings but can't find it, any help gratefully received.
As to my mother-in law's problem, she is coming round later (it being mothers' day) and hopefully I will be able to set up an IMAP account on her iPad, now that I know how to do it, and that will solve that. Fingers crossed.
Why is nothing in life as simple as it should be?