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Had the Desire for about a week and like it a lot but will have to return it because Exchange sync doesn't work and that's a key feature for me.
1. Set up account and set 1 home screen to the mail widget and for a couple of days it worked perfectly until I saw new emails on the home screen widget that didn't appear in the mail app itself! How can the widget apparently be more up to date than the source of the data - the mail app?
2. After this could no longer sync e-mail - it appears that contacts and calendar sync but e-mail shows "sync protocol error"
3. Removed account and set it up again and it worked perfectly for about 24 hours and then exactly the same thing happened. Removed account, removed battery, reset account and its working again....for about a day before I get the same result (home screen widget showing e-mails that aren't showing on the mail app itself and I get sync error).
4. Removed all apps and reset to factory settings and set up account again but the same thing has happened again after about a day. It seems that if it tries to sync and can't connect because there's no signal eg I'm on underground then it locks and can no longer sync
It's Microsoft Exchange server 2003 SP2 and colleagues have no problem with i phones or blackberries and I've been using WM phones for years without any problems. Unfortunately phone is useless to me if this doesn't work and disappointed that HTC claiming feature that in my case clearly doesnt work
More information on above
Forgot to say that although I wasn't getting any e-mail update I was able to send e-mails all the time that this was going on! So I could send but not receive.
apart from a similar issue the first few days in, my Desire sync's fine with my exchange 2007 server. although I've not used the mail widget
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
fredfox_uk said:
apart from a similar issue the first few days in, my Desire sync's fine with my exchange 2007 server. although I've not used the mail widget
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After posting the above, I had this happen again this evening. If occurred when the connection changed from "H" to "G" I'm missing 55 mails
I'll have to try and figure out what's happening
I've had exchange working great for the last 3 weeks. Then it decided to stop working. I've deleted the account and re created it and no joy. Just won't sync. I'm gonna try with moxier now and see if that works.
Sent from my HTC Desire
Identical problem here with my Desire.
It is not just a simple receive problem because I can delete emails from the main "Inbox" folder, than switch to the "Deleted Items" folder, sync and retreive the emails I've just deleted.
But syncing the main "Inbox" folder is not working anymore.
Seems like internal index data for that folder is broken.
This is not a server problem because just deleting the sync account and re-creating it magically fixes it until something screws up again.
This is clearly a case of bad application coding. Damn try-catch statements
Had the same problem myself on 2 different phones, I found that going into account settings and doing a save without changing anything (it says it is checking your password) fixes it.
Seems to happen if you make a lot of changes via outlook and the phone looses its place.
LM
MufDvr said:
Had the same problem myself on 2 different phones, I found that going into account settings and doing a save without changing anything (it says it is checking your password) fixes it.
Seems to happen if you make a lot of changes via outlook and the phone looses its place.
LM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried, but does not work for me.
I wonder if the application event logs on the Exchange server will give more information on the failure? Is SSL set up correctly? Some people have been having problems with self-issued certificates.
fredfox_uk said:
After posting the above, I had this happen again this evening. If occurred when the connection changed from "H" to "G" I'm missing 55 mails
I'll have to try and figure out what's happening
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny you mention about it breaking when going from "H" to "G". I thought I had seen bandwidth related success with my exchange syncing. On WIFI, I could sync the whole inbox, but I would get failures when trying on 3G. I then reduced the inbox to "last 7 days only" and it worked. Going back to higher bandwidth, suddenly I could have the whole inbox without sync errors.
Deleting & recreating Exchange sync account works
For me, deleting and recreating the Exchange sync account workedto get rid of "Sync protocol error". Not funny, but at least there's a way out.
So far so good...
Suspecting some local index file is broken if the sync task is suddenly aborted, I have avoided killing any task and guess what ? So far so good...
Will keep you informed.
P.S. Even if this is the real issue, the sync code is BROKEN.
Hi,
Has anybody gotten to the bottom of this? I've found several threads about the same error across several HTC phones on several different forums.
Deleting and re-adding the account seems like a last resort?
All my contacts are synched via Exchange so if i delete it i assume i lose all of them? And then would i lose corresponding text messages? Anything else? Do all my links to Facebook, Flickr etc get lost? I can see some weird strings of code in my contacts on Outlook now so is the Desire clever enough to pick these up and link everything back together again?
If i can get everything back by just re-adding the account then I'll give it a go but it really does seem far from ideal.
Hi all,
Sorry to bump but i've still not taken the step of deleting my exchange account through fear of losing information.
Obviously it will delete my contacts but will it also delete corresponding SMSs, links to facebook, twitter etc (in Outlook I can see some funny code strings in each contact which i think may be the links)?
Basically, will anything be permanently lost or will i simply need to re-add the account to get everything back as it was?
Is there a way to back up my contacts first? HTC Sync?
Thanks
When I removed an Exchange account from the stock mail app it didn't remove the linking data (which appears in the notes field of your contacts). And there would be no reason for it to delete SMSes, although with the contacts gone, it may not be able to link the phone numbers to names.
HTC Sync could sync your contacts to a separate Outlook installation, or you could use one of the many backup apps (search around here for reviews).
I've only had my Desire for 24 hours but I elected to go with Touchdown right from the get-go after advice from a colleague. So far, it's working a treat (fingers crossed it stays that way). Is anyone here using TD and experiencing these issues, or is it just with the native mail app?
I have a simular issue where Exchange mail stops receiving and sending emails. I only pick up that there is an issue, when attempting to send a email.
This happens regularly, and I have reported this issue to HTC.
My fix when this occurs is to untick and retick SSL option and save.
Well i've removed and re-added the exchange account and so far everything seems to be working ok. Will keep you folks posted - hopefully it doesn't happen again!
Chaps,
Just joined, but I think I have your answer... Task Killer. If you run any of the task killer apps, they can kill the exchange as it is happening, leaving the inbox status in a corrupt state, and the only way to fix this is to delete the account and start over. But then, if the task killer kills the sync, you will have to do it oveer, and over again. Task Killers are great for killing the main apps, but use them on the desire in manual mode only, and only kill the main apps, not the background processes.
Regards
Jaffa
I don't believe it is caused by task killers - I use Advanced Task Killer but it doesn't even list email as open even though it is. I noticed my inbox started having issues after changing sync from 7 days to 14 - it kept re-downloading the last few messages, then after 1 day simply stopped updating the inbox. All other folders fine. I suspect it's a space/size issue - some reports from POP users sound similar. HTC / Android really need to address this. Slowly getting sick of my HTC Legend...(Legendary failure!)
I've always had my work email (Exchange) connected to my Evo, no matter which ROM I was running. Had it hooked up with CM6 RC1, no problems. Had a bit of trouble getting it set up with CM6 RC2, but was able to get it working with a fake domain, which took me to the manual setup screen. All is well, except...
Now I'm getting random notifications that Exchange needs security settings changed. I can click on the notification and it's not telling me specifically what I need to enable. Under security in the settings menu, Email is set as a device administrator (can't remove it from there or it disables my account.) The thing is, even without security enabled, I'm still able to send and receive email.
I know on my old WinMo phone, Exchange automatically enabled PIN locking of the screen - but it's not enabling the security that it needs to here. Any idea what I need to change?
I had that notification for a long time..i went into my OWA through the web and had to delete all my previous devices to my exchange account and re setup my exchange and havent seen that notification since..
Let me start off by saying that this issue has had me running in circles going batsh!t crazy for weeks now. Generally speaking, Exchange contacts and mail worked for me right out of the box using the built in Sense Mail and continued to work through several iterations of the Fresh ROM. Definitely occasional issues but all in all it worked. And, since I was constantly experimenting with new ROMs, I always just assumed it was me who had done something when syncing stopped working.
That said, after weeks of no tweaking Exchange Mail suddenly stopped working and despite all efforts I can't get it to work well again. Moxier, Roadsync, and Touchdown all work without a hitch. And, even the AOSP Email app I used when trying out Cyanogen continued to sync despite the occasional "connection error." Unfortunately, I would really prefer to use the built in Sense Mail app and hope someone here can help me fix whatever it is that is not working.
What Works and What Doesn't:
Exchange Mail - If I delete the account and start over I can nearly always set the account up but, on occasion get continuous "Failure, Try Again Later" dialogs. Once set up, the phone immediately starts trying to sync. The most frequent result at this point is no mail shows up but the syncing icon will spin for hours to no avail. However, if I go to view the folders, I can see my different folders which are clearly from my exchange account. However, sometimes after I set the account up and it starts syncing, some mail WILL start to show up in the inbox (10-20 messages) but then stop while the sync icon spins indefinitely.
Exchange Contacts - Always worked and continues to work
Exchange Calendar - From the very beginning had "connection timeout socket" issues but so I use a workaround using Google Calendar Sync. I am perfectly fine with this workaround so, if it can't be fixed it is no big deal.
Numerous times I have tried
-deleting and re-adding the account
-changing up the sync options
-wiping the phone and re-flashing ROM's (including stock)
-Using apps that prevent the phone from locking
-screaming and yelling
If anyone can help I would be very grateful. I also attached a logcat that ran this morning.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4716709/Log.txt
hmmmm...
For clarification:
After a hard reset, no rooting, no ROM, just a plain stock 2.2 EVO, you cannot sync Exchange mail? Contacts are OK, and Calendar requires workaround?
I would check with your IT dept and see if they have any restrictions on device synchronization. Ensure they are running at least Exchange 2007, and try having them delete the synchronization from the server-side.
I would test on a different EVO, preferably one that has never been rooted or flashed. Does your account sync, or can you duplicate the symptoms?
Fully stock EVO has the same inconsistencies. I'm on my second EVO due to a screen issue with the first one and was traveling so didn't root the new one for about a week and had same issues. Additionally, there is someone in our IT dept with an EVO who has had the same issues but, lacking my perseverance (or stupidity) gave up for touchdown.
It seems to be completely isolated to the HTC Mail app because even if I install the AOSP Email app on a Sense Rom I can sync email fine. Unfortunately, the AOSP Email app has little functionality in comparison and what I like most is the full screen widget of the Sense...
okolowicz said:
Fully stock EVO has the same inconsistencies. I'm on my second EVO due to a screen issue with the first one and was traveling so didn't root the new one for about a week and had same issues. Additionally, there is someone in our IT dept with an EVO who has had the same issues but, lacking my perseverance (or stupidity) gave up for touchdown.
It seems to be completely isolated to the HTC Mail app because even if I install the AOSP Email app on a Sense Rom I can sync email fine. Unfortunately, the AOSP Email app has little functionality in comparison and what I like most is the full screen widget of the Sense...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check your settings for SSL and TLS. Maybe something is off there. Also check how much mail you are trying to sync and the size of the mails you're trying to download. These are all in the account settings.
Also find out if your IT dept has changed anything on their end. I had issues when upgraded from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010, it could be something related to that also...
Perhaps you can provide your settings and we can take a look. It's hard to pinpoint a problem without specific info.
there are some good suggestions in the thread already, but I have something relatively basic you could try. At anytime after deleting your exchange info, did you ever go into manage applications and see if there was any data still in the mail app, and if so, did you try to clear the data and cache before reloading your exchange info?
Regarding the amount of mail I am trying to sync, I've tried the default 14 days down to 3 days with no difference in reliability. I've also tried changing up the allowed size of emails from anywhere between 10kb and entire mail but still no consistency.
The settings I use are pretty straight forward and haven't messed around too much because I haven't seen to many areas to tweak. The server address is mail.companyname.com and the domain is companynameI've tried with and without the SSL box checked which has made no real difference.
What makes it frustrating is the inconsistency. For example, yesterday I deleted and set the account up again with another combination of settings and email started syncing almost immediately. But, as is typical, after syncing the first 20 messages or so nothing else showed up and the sync icon spun indefinitely. And, contacts of course synced without issue.
If there are other settings you recommend me looking at, please let me know.
fachadick had an excellent suggestion. I've seen similar sync issues when the local cache remains even after having removed the account (client-side), or if a particular mailbox in Exchange was previously synced with a Windows Mobile device (server-side).
1. Try removing the account from your EVO, and wiping out the local cache in Settings - Applications - Manage Applications (the 'All' tab). Check every app that is associated: Calendar, Calendar storage, Calendar Sync Adapter, Contacts Storage, etc, etc
2. Have your IT dept delete any and all sync relationships on the server side.
After these two items, reboot your phone, wait a while, and try again. Question: what version of Exchange does your company run?
I'm having trouble getting Push Email working in Jelly Bean 4.1.1 without Auto Sync on.
With ICS (and all previous versions of Android 2.2 and 2.3) I was able to still have my emails pushed to the phone without having Auto Sync enabled. For some reason it own't work in JB.
I don't want to have Auto Sync as i try to turn as much off as i can to save battery life.
Has anyone heard of something being changed on JB to not allow Push to work without Auto Sync.
Thanks in advance for any info provided.
I initially had the same problem. Here's what worked for me, no guarantee it will work for you. When setting up my account I cleared the default port setting and just left it blank. Then my work server set the proper number.
Been having the same issue.
Now trying your potential solution and will see.
Update:
This does, oddly, seem to have worked.
Re-Update:
Nope. Back to non-functioning.
furryfrog said:
Been having the same issue.
Now trying your potential solution and will see.
Update:
This does, oddly, seem to have worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seconded.
This worked. The battery on my Nexus S was drained in 5 hours of stand-by yesterday and the battery usage was 70% Exchange. Checked my work email via the pc and I had about 50 emails that didn't get to my phone.
Found this thread, went to my exchange settings and removed the "0" from the port setting, clicked save and voila, emails rolling in fine.
There is no way to make it work!!!
:crying::crying::crying:
I am desperated. A couple of days after installing JB 4.1.1 the automatic official update from Google, the Exchange email account suddenly gave up working. After deleting and recreating several times the account the email still could not be synchronized. I configure everything in automatic option but it does not work. I delete the port number and leave it blank but it does not work.
I always get the same error inside the Exchange application with emails previously synchronized, that the application cannot connect to the server but the server is up and running and the configuration is correct. When I delete the accound and recreate once more again and open Exchange app it remains long long time waiting for sync, but it never syncs.
Sometimes when trying to tweak the configuration I get the system message that the account is not found.
It drives me crazy. After trying everything explained above several times I finally succeed to synchronize by activating the general sync button in the main desktop applet (the one for Energy saving which has GPS, WiFi, screen light level, Sync and Bluetooth) and waiting for the system to ask me for reactivating the Security - Device Manager options to allow the security policy specified by the email server.
Do I have to set always the general sync button on?. It will drain the battery, won't it?. Why suddenly it looses the connection and I have to make all this mess to recoup the connection to Exchange server and sync again my corporate email?
josimal said:
:crying::crying::crying:
I am desperated. A couple of days after installing JB 4.1.1 the automatic official update from Google, the Exchange email account suddenly gave up working. After deleting and recreating several times the account the email still could not be synchronized. I configure everything in automatic option but it does not work. I delete the port number and leave it blank but it does not work.
I always get the same error inside the Exchange application with emails previously synchronized, that the application cannot connect to the server but the server is up and running and the configuration is correct. When I delete the accound and recreate once more again and open Exchange app it remains long long time waiting for sync, but it never syncs.
Sometimes when trying to tweak the configuration I get the system message that the account is not found.
It drives me crazy. After trying everything explained above several times I finally succeed to synchronize by activating the general sync button in the main desktop applet (the one for Energy saving which has GPS, WiFi, screen light level, Sync and Bluetooth) and waiting for the system to ask me for reactivating the Security - Device Manager options to allow the security policy specified by the email server.
Do I have to set always the general sync button on?. It will drain the battery, won't it?. Why suddenly it looses the connection and I have to make all this mess to recoup the connection to Exchange server and sync again my corporate email?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done the same with no luck either.
I currently have the trial version of Touchdown installed to use for syncing in the meantime, but that's not what I want.
Yes, the sync button will drain battery, and I have gotten Exchange to work with that turned on. I want my simple push email to always function regardless of the system background data sync being on or off - like it used to.
furryfrog said:
I have done the same with no luck either.
I currently have the trial version of Touchdown installed to use for syncing in the meantime, but that's not what I want.
Yes, the sync button will drain battery, and I have gotten Exchange to work with that turned on. I want my simple push email to always function regardless of the system background data sync being on or off - like it used to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By now it's still working fine. Let's cross fingers. But always with Sync button on. My conclusion is that also we must be careful with the device manager option the security settings. It allows Exchange to access system security settings. If not, the system perhaps blocks the synchronization. Battery does not look to drain much faster than before with Sync button off.
Exchange Email on Jelly Bean 4.1.1 - Waiting for Sync forever
today I got my new galaxy nexus phone with JB 4.1.1 and I am facing the same issue as mentioned by other members. I have tried the following and none of them have worked so far
I am able to connect to my exchange server but its the "waiting for sync" that's not working
1 - removing and recreating my corporate email account more than once
2 - removed the PORT and let the app set it for me didn't work
3 - went to settings and did sync from there for my account didnt work
4 - enabled auto sync and that didn't work
I'm not sure everyone is understanding the proper use of Syncing. Basically yes your account has to have Sync on. The other option is only the Method it will use. For example if you choose "Automatic (Push)" that just means that when your work server gets an email it will push it to your phone (i.e. your phone doesnt check at all... it waits for communication from the server which is the best battery saving sync option). So if you turn Sync completely off your phone will no longer receive the push emails (you can turn sync off on all other accounts).
Removing the port will likely not do anything. It will either just use the default (443) or not use one and it wont work at all. As an example I have a hotmail calendar that I share with my girlfriend (we keep our social stuff in it). When I create the account I choose not to sync anything but the calendar and set it to "Automatic (Push)". This means that my phone should almost never use battery on that account until one of us adds something to it.
If it worked in ICS it was likely a bug that was fixed in JB. When you turn Sync off it means no syncing will happen at all (push or otherwise)
My problem with exchange is.
Setting up configuration = all ok
Server verifies = all ok
But my company requires a security verification through pin. In ICS it automatically made that security option available.
In JB I'm stuck in exchange setup (name, signature, ...)
Synchronizing loop
(send from Nexus S JRO03E)
Email Security settings issue
sheepz said:
My problem with exchange is.
Setting up configuration = all ok
Server verifies = all ok
But my company requires a security verification through pin. In ICS it automatically made that security option available.
In JB I'm stuck in exchange setup (name, signature, ...)
Synchronizing loop
(send from Nexus S JRO03E)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here.. It just doesnt show the menu to activate PIN and the email doesnt sync... Need help!!!
Can you not just go ahead and set a PIN before trying to Sync? If its already there the phone wont ask you to do it
any fix for this Jelly Bean bug? It just waiting for the sync.
I use 3 separate exchange accounts and dont have this bug at all. I'm not even really sure what it is. Each time I add my Exchange account right after I click "Activate" I get a little notification that says I need to update my security and I put in my PIN and away I go
I had the same error because of limited internal storage. This is what happened:
1. After update to the new OS, all the apps automatically downloaded and installed on the internal storage.
Note: You may want to check your internal storage first to make sure that you have the same issue [Settings->System Settings->Storage].
2. Sometime after that my email stopped syncing.
3. I did reboots and add/delete many time, but still got the "waiting to sync" message.
What worked !
1. Settings -> Manage apps ->Downloaded (scroll left).
2. Click on individual apps and then click "Move to USB storage".
Once space was freed on the internal storage, everything started working.
---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------
chkamran said:
I had the same error because of limited internal storage. This is what happened:
1. After update to the new OS, all the apps automatically downloaded and installed on the internal storage.
Note: You may want to check your internal storage first to make sure that you have the same issue [Settings->System Settings->Storage].
2. Sometime after that my email stopped syncing.
3. I did reboots and add/delete many time, but still got the "waiting to sync" message.
What worked !
1. Settings -> Manage apps ->Downloaded (scroll left).
2. Click on individual apps and then click "Move to USB storage".
Once space was freed on the internal storage, everything started working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note: I did reset the phone before the update which resulted in the automatic download and install.
raghav12 said:
Same issue here.. It just doesnt show the menu to activate PIN and the email doesnt sync... Need help!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus S runnning 4.1.1 stock
This worked for me:
remove port in the incomming server setting
set update to "push"
enable the SYNC button
I used to manualy sync, whenever i needed to access my cooperate mail.
Good luck!
I've tried the stock exchange email app a few times and found it to be overall fairly good. however until I can have the inbox show mail from all folders then it's useless as a mobile email client. I cant be going into each folder (I have 30ish separate email folders with rules on exchange that automatically puts mail from x client into x folder)
I this something that can be done or am I missing a trick. also having to go into each folder and set it's sync options individually is a bind. I'd really love to use the stock client as it looks and behaves far better than (touchdown) but without a unified inbox from all the email folders it's a no no.
Other than that the exchange client works perfectly for me on 4.1.1 (AOKP)
Hi all.
Same issue as others and bk13 After the JB update, Exchange stopped working, as well as Hotmail connection.
I can get the set up done like another here, it is confirmed, but gets stuck at Waiting for Sync endless circle. It is set up to automatic (push) and sync email.
I tried the leave port blank, and it filled in with the 443 default port.
Please help.
I can't get the hotmail to work either, and I see from other forums, it is an issue. what a pain.
Found this on another forum and it work for me. I will see if it will let me set up my Hotmail account now.
It worked for my Hotmail account also. I had to go back and re-check the Auto Data Sync but it worked. Finally, back to normal...
I've found a solution here. Credit goes to Keith Hurst.
JellyBean 4.1.1 Sync | AVForums.com - UK Onlineolution:
Settings --> Data Usage --> Menu --> and check Auto Sync Data
Try setting up Exchange account again and you'll see the prompt to activate a Device Administrator this time.
Thanks,
no connection
when I add my exchange account with the correct settings I do not get a connection?
when I use the same credentials on a Samsung Galaxy SII or SIII instead of my own Samsung Galaxy Nexus it works fine???
I'm Runing JB (4.1.1) and my @work exchange account version = Exchange 2010 SP2 rollup 4
---------- Post added at 11:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:02 AM ----------
apoc [t.i.m.] said:
when I add my exchange account with the correct settings I do not get a connection?
when I use the same credentials on a Samsung Galaxy SII or SIII instead of my own Samsung Galaxy Nexus it works fine???
I'm Runing JB (4.1.1) and my @work exchange account version = Exchange 2010 SP2 rollup 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
used this to fix it:
http://www.nonstop.co.il/kb/view.php?kb=29
(yes you need to be sys.admin or else ask your sys.admin to do so)
Emoze push mail for ICS
sniperIT said:
I'm having trouble getting Push Email working in Jelly Bean 4.1.1 without Auto Sync on.
With ICS (and all previous versions of Android 2.2 and 2.3) I was able to still have my emails pushed to the phone without having Auto Sync enabled. For some reason it own't work in JB.
I don't want to have Auto Sync as i try to turn as much off as i can to save battery life.
Has anyone heard of something being changed on JB to not allow Push to work without Auto Sync.
Thanks in advance for any info provided.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had similar issues with weird behavior of the push and sync and I installed Emoze Push client which gives me the ability to push any type of email ,obviously Exchange and IMAP but even POP3 which is very limited email protocol.
I've done benchmarks with the stock ICS email client and with several third party clients like Touchdown, Moxier, K9 and I find that Emoze has the advantage in almost every aspect.
Push notification is stable and fast ,less than 60 sec.
Battery consumption is low ,I’m able to work in push mode without charging for 22 hours.
I’m quite a heavy email user so it was kind of a surprise to me because I used to have 6-8 hours max with only one account working in push.
I have 5 email accounts which is about 100-200 email per day so no kidding ,this one really improved my life ,I’m less paranoid about my battery.
Other features which are quit useful are the security options that allows you to find the device location by SMS or email
and also to remote wipe or block by SMS.
This is cool because you don’t need PC connected to the internet to get the job done ,you can simply send SMS to your phone number to activate the security process.
So, I've had my Galaxy SIII for about a month and a half and everything seems to work great except for the Exchange email app. Since I've had it, I've had to remove and delete all data related to the Exchange app from the app management (Calendar, Email, Contacts, etc.). This has happened to more than just me. As I do IT work for a university, we have several students, faculty, and staff who have this device, on various networks, who are having the same trouble. These are also on different Exchange servers (students are on a Microsoft managed one and faculty/staff is on an in house server), so I don't believe its just the Exchange server that I'm connected to. Its really frustrating that I have remove and readd the Exchange account every few weeks since all of my contacts are pulled from the Exchange server.
Not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but if so, I was wondering if anyone had a solution to this problem.
Also, since the last time that I had to readd the account, I cannot change the default notification sound. The option is greyed out and the Dew Drops tone is selected. IMO, this is the most worthless tone on the device and I can never hear it when it goes off. If anyone has any ideas as to why I cannot change the notification tone, I would really appreciate it. I use the email account for work and I receive emails daily, so its a little frustrating that I can't hear my email notifications.
I'm not exactly sure what your first problem is. Why do you have to delete data to the exchange app (is this the main stock email app)? I've had no problem with mine.
For your second issue the ringtone being grayed out, make sure you don't have the phone's ringtone volume on silent or vibrate, that will grey out the box.
Not sure if it is the same, but I have a similar problem. Mine seemed more tied to the wifi network the phone was on than anything else.
If I leave one wifi network, then go on 4G, then to a new network, my Exchange servers will not always connect. If I stay put and toggle off wifi, my exchange server will connect over 4G just fine. Or if I do what you suggest by basically deleting the account, it will connect to the exchange server on wifi.
I noticed it most at work - turn the phone on when I leave the house, get to work and connect to wifi, exchange works fine all day. Drive home, walk in the house, and can not connect to exchange server (though wifi internet connection works). My resolution - restart the phone when I walk in the house in the evening. That worked every time. Annoying - yes, but better than deleting and re-adding the account.
Not sure if it is still an issue with the JB update since my work wifi has been out since then. I did a bit of research, and the best explanation I could come up with was something to do with my home router not releasing the phone when I left, and then not allowing it to reconnect fully (I'm not an IT person, so that is as technical as I get). I noticed the behavior other places with wifi as well, but not 100% of the time.
Hope this helps you narrow down your issue.
I had to clear the data from the app manager as it would not connect to the exchange server again when I readded the account without doing this. Not sure what the deal is. Also, I keep having to change the server address. We have 3 different addresses that mobile accounts should take and I have to rotate through these. It appears that the generic outlook.com will no longer find the server with the Galaxy S3.
As for the switching wifi networks affecting it, that may be an issue. We have a couple of WPA2 networks where I work and one of them gives me authentication errors stating that the username and password is incorrect. If I keep trying to connect, it eventually will without having to retype the password in. Never had this issue with the wifi or the exchange server on my Atrix. Just restarting the phone does not solve the issue for me either. It refuses to connect whether its on wifi or LTE.
As for changing the default ringtone for messages, it was greyed out due to being on vibrate...Seems strange that they would do this as everything else (messaging, gmail, etc.) can all be changed while on vibrate. I also have to change this option in two different places, the general settings and the actual account settings, otherwise it will not take affect. Seems like an odd design.
I was hoping that the JB update would fix some of the wifi and exchange issues, but it appears that it hasn't. I guess I will just have to deal with exchange breaking every few weeks...