How to Fix Gmail Not Updating on iPhone?

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This article will show you what to do if Gmail is not updating on iPhone. Although we cannot list every possible reason Gmail is not working on your iPhone, we can provide you with several universal tips about troubleshooting email on Apple gadgets.

Fix Gmail Not Updating on iPhone

To answer the question “why is my Gmail not updating,” you need to understand how the default email client on iOS works.

Gmail App vs Apple Mail on iPhone

When troubleshooting Gmail sync problems on iPhone, one of the most important thing is to understand the difference between the Apple Mail app and the official Gmail app.

Keep in mind that the built-in Apple Mail app usually uses scheduled fetch intervals for Gmail accounts instead of true push notifications. Due to this, new emails may appear with delays depending on your Mail fetch settings.

In contrast, the official Gmail app uses Google’s own background sync mechanisms and usually delivers emails faster and more reliably.

Because of this, many folks prefer the official Gmail app because of its better reliability and faster syncing.

Checking Internet Connectivity

You need to check if your device has a stable Internet connection. Also, try to disconnect from your Wi-Fi and connect to another network, or try to use cellular data. As an option, try using VPN. In many cases, poor Internet connection can create a problem with syncing an email.

Check How the Google Account Was Added to iPhone

For personal Google Accounts, IMAP access is always enabled. Since January 2025, Gmail no longer provides the Enable IMAP/Disable IMAP options in Gmail settings. For Google Workspace, you can still control IMAP access for users through the Google Admin console. However, IMAP access and authentication are separate settings. Since May 1, 2025, Google Workspace no longer supports legacy third-party authentication using only a username and password. Supported email clients, including Apple Mail, must use OAuth in order to access Google Workspace accounts.

In case Gmail is not syncing in Apple Mail, you need to ensure that the account was added using the built-in Google account provider rather than as a manually configured IMAP account.

When you select Google as the account provider, Apple Mail uses Google’s account sign-in flow rather than asking you to enter your Google password directly into an IMAP config. This allows Google to authenticate the account using OAuth. For Google Workspace, this is especially important because legacy username-and-password authentication for third-party mail clients is no longer supported.

In case the Gmail account was previously configured as Microsoft Exchange using Google Sync, you need to remove that account and add it again using Google. For Google Sync (Exchange ActiveSync) support ended on March 14, 2025. For Google Workspace, existing Google Sync connections were already disabled on September 30, 2024, so Workspace users should use the Google account provider and OAuth instead.

Follow the steps below:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts.
3. Select the Gmail account.
4. If necessary, you can remove the account and add it again using Add Account > Google.
5. Now complete the Google sign-in and OAuth authorization process.

For Google Workspace accounts, you should use the built-in Google account provider so Apple Mail can authenticate through Google’s OAuth flow. Do not config the account using legacy username-and-password authentication!

Why Gmail Sync Is Delayed in Apple Mail

When an email account doesn’t support Push notifications in Apple Mail, your iPhone uses Fetch to check for new messages according to the configured schedule. As a result, new Gmail messages may appear in Apple Mail with a delay.

When Push isn’t available, Apple Mail uses Fetch to retrieve new messages. You should pay particular attention to the Automatically option: when Automatically is selected, background fetching occurs only when the iPhone is charging and connected to Wi-Fi. If you want Mail to fetch messages more frequently outside these conditions, you need to select a specific Fetch interval instead.

Note that the official Gmail app behaves differently. It it uses Google’s own push notification infrastructure and maintains direct communication with Google services in the background.

Because of this difference:

• Apple Mail may delay Gmail updates;
• Gmail app usually receives messages instantly;
• Battery optimization affects Apple Mail more aggressively;
• Sync timing may vary depending on iOS activity conditions.

This is one of the biggest reasons why Gmail notifications on iPhone often appear delayed when using Apple Mail.

To check the Fetch schedule, follow the steps below:

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Fetch New Data.
3. Here you need to select the Gmail account and check the available Fetch settings.
4. Under Fetch, choose an available schedule if you want Mail to check for new messages more frequently.

Verify Mailbox Settings and Change Sync Timeframe

When Push isn’t available for an email account, Apple Mail uses Fetch to check for new messages according to the selected schedule. Keep in mind that available Fetch intervals can vary depending on the account and iOS version.

1. Open Settings and go to Mail > Accounts.
2. Tap Fetch New Data.
3. Select a new fetching period from the Fetch list.

Alternatively, you can reduce the fetch period in the settings or manually sync the mailbox.

Check and Disable Both Power Saving Mode and Low Data Mode

To ensure your Gmail works without issues, download the official Gmail app from the App Store and sign in with your account.

Next, you need to check if you have the power-saving mode turned on. iPhone stops syncing Gmail and other parts of the OS to preserve energy after enabling power-saving mode. On newer iPhones with iOS 26, go to Settings > Battery > Power Mode > Low Power Mode. On some older iPhone models, Low Power Mode is directly under Settings → Battery.

Similarly, iPhone stops updating mail accounts when users turn on Data saving mode. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Low Data Mode.

The next thing to do is check whether your Gmail account is properly set up in Settings. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Gmail.

Make sure you have Mail enabled.

How iOS Background Restrictions Affect Gmail Sync

Note that modern iOS versions aggressively optimize battery usage and background network activity. Due to this, you may face email sync delay when:

• Low Power Mode is enabled;
• Low Data Mode is enabled;
• Background App Refresh is disabled;
• Focus modes restrict notifications;
• iPhone stays in sleep/standby mode for extended periods.

Keep in mind that Apple Mail relies heavily on iOS background fetch scheduling. This means that Gmail sync timing may vary depending on device activity, battery conditions, and network connectivity.

You can strongly notice this behavior on:

• older iPhone devices;
• low battery conditions;
• poor Wi-Fi/cellular networks;
• aggressive battery-saving configs.

Re-authenticate Your Google Account

Now, move on to credentials. Did you recently turn on two-factor authentication for your Gmail account? If yes, you need to sign in again to authenticate your iPhone and get Gmail syncing again.

Keep in mind that legacy authentication using only a username and password for Google Workspace accounts is no longer supported for third-party apps. Since May 1, 2025, Google Workspace requires supported third-party apps and devices to use OAuth to access Google services.

In case Apple Mail has lost its Google authentication session, you need to remove the account from the iPhone and add it again using Add Account > Google. Complete the Google sign-in and OAuth authorization process instead of entering your Gmail password into a manual IMAP configuration.

If Google authentication has expired or been revoked, Apple Mail may stop syncing Gmail. In this case, remove the Google account from the iPhone and add it again using the Google account provider. During setup, you need to sign in through Google’s authentication page and complete the OAuth authorization process.

Do not enter your Gmail password into a manual IMAP config. Use Add Account > Google so that the account is authenticated through Google’s OAuth flow.

Note that modern Gmail authentication on iPhone uses OAuth tokens instead of traditional password authentication. In some cases, expired/revoked Google authentication sessions may stop Gmail syncing on iPhone.

You should try to remove and re-add the Gmail account, it often refreshes authentication tokens and resolves sync issues.

Check Gmail account settings

Check if your Gmail account on the iPhone Mail app has correct settings. 

Reset Network Settings

Important thing to try is do reset your network settings. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and tap on Reset Network Settings. This action will reset all network settings like passwords, cellular settings, Wi-Fi or VPN settings, etc.

After that close your Mail app and re-open again to see if the problem gone.

Remove and Re-add the Google Account

If you are still having trouble with Gmail on your iPhone, try:

1. Remove the Google account from Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, then select the account and tap Delete Account.
2. Then restart your iPhone.
3. After restarting, you need to add the account again by navigating to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account > Google.
4. Complete the Google sign-in and OAuth authorization process. Do not add the account as Other or config it manually as an IMAP account.

This advice may sound dumb and stereotypical, but the truth is that restarting a device or removing and adding the account back often helps the user get rid of a bug that causes the problem.

Update iOS and Mail App

Finally, update your iPhone to the latest iOS version to fix Gmail not updating on iPhone. If still nothing helps, reset your device, and try again.

More tips to solve sync problems

1. Restart the Mail app. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle to open the App Switcher. Find the Mail app and swipe up on it to close it. Then open Mail again and check whether new messages appear.
2. Check your Google Account storage quota. If your Google storage is full, Gmail may be unable to receive new messages.
3. Try to enable Background App Refresh setting (Settings > General > Background App Refresh). By enabling this feature, you are allowing applications to update with new data when even if those apps aren’t used much).
4. Try to disable the Low Data mode (Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options). If you have enabled this feature before, it can block the application from using Internet to sync).
5. Try switching on/off the Airplane mode. Turn it on wait for 5 seconds, then turn it off and check if problems with syncing are gone.

Check Focus Mode and Notification Settings

Sometimes Gmail syncing works correctly, but iPhone notification settings prevent users from seeing new mail alerts. You should check the following settings:

• Settings → Notifications → Mail/Gmail
• Settings → Focus
• Scheduled Summary notifications
• Allow Notifications
• Background App Refresh

Note that focus modes and notification summaries may delay/suppress Gmail notifications (even in case messages are already synced successfully).

Enterprise and Managed Device Considerations

Keep in mind that in enterprise environments, Gmail sync problems may also be caused by:

• Microsoft Intune policies;
• Mobile Device Management (MDM) restrictions;
• VPN configs;
• conditional access policies;
• corporate security compliance rules;
• blocked background refresh settings.

In case your iPhone is managed by your organization, you should contact your IT admin to check that Gmail and mail syncing are allowed by device management policies.

Wrapping up

So, in most cases, Gmail syncing problems on iPhone are caused by:

• Apple Mail fetch limitations;
• iOS background activity restrictions;
• Gmail authentication/session issues;
• network connectivity problems;
• disabled IMAP access;
• battery optimization settings.

In case you want to get the best Gmail syncing experience on iPhone, you should prefer using the official Gmail app instead of the built-in Apple Mail app.

In enterprise environments, you should also verify device management policies, VPN configs, and security restrictions that may affect background sync.