How to Sync Email Across Devices: A Canadian Setup Guide

How to Sync Email Across Devices: A Canadian Setup Guide

How to Sync Email Across Devices: A Canadian Setup Guide

Woman checking email across multiple devices

To sync email across devices, connect every device to your mailbox over IMAP, not POP. IMAP keeps the messages on the mail server, and each phone, tablet and computer shows the same inbox. Read, deleted and moved messages follow you everywhere. This guide covers how that works, how to set up a custom domain address on an iPhone or Android phone, what to do when sync stops, and what a Canadian business should check when it moves its email.

TL;DR

  • Use IMAP (with SMTP for sending) on every device. POP downloads mail to one device and is the usual reason inboxes don’t match.
  • A custom domain account is set up like any other IMAP account: your full email address as the username, plus the incoming and outgoing server names from your provider.
  • If an Android phone seems to set itself up but never updates, redo the setup manually and confirm IMAP is selected.
  • Moving a new phone is easy: sign in with the same IMAP account and the mail is already there, because it lives on the server.
  • At Tinymail, your email is hosted in Canada, we are committed to your privacy, we do not use AI anywhere, and we work to keep your data safe.

Table of Contents

What “syncing” email actually means

When people say their email is not syncing, they usually mean one of three things: a message they read on the phone still shows as unread on the laptop, a message they deleted on the tablet is back in the inbox, or something they sent from the phone isn’t in the Sent folder on the computer. All three come from the same cause. Each device is keeping its own copy of the mailbox instead of looking at one shared copy.

IMAP, the Internet Message Access Protocol, fixes this. TechTarget explains that IMAP lets you reach your mail from any device because you work on messages through the mail server, and the messages stay on the server until you delete them. It also notes that changes such as deleting or moving a message are synchronised through the IMAP server, so a deletion on one device is reflected on the others and on the server.

In practice IMAP keeps these things in step:

  • Read and unread status
  • Folders you create and messages you move between them
  • Deleted items
  • Flags and starred messages
  • Sent mail, when the device is set to store sent messages on the server

Sending is handled separately by SMTP. Your device passes the outgoing message to your provider’s SMTP server. That is why every setup screen asks for two server names, one incoming (IMAP) and one outgoing (SMTP).

IMAP and POP: the difference in one table

IMAP POP
Where mail lives On the server, shared by all devices Downloaded to one device
Read/unread status across devices Matches Doesn’t match
Folders Same on every device Local to each device
Best for Phone, tablet and computer together A single computer, offline archive

If you have ever set up an account on your laptop years ago and later added your phone, there is a good chance the old laptop is still on POP. Switching it to IMAP is often the whole fix.

Set up custom domain email on an iPhone or iPad

A custom domain address (you@yourcompany.ca) works on Apple’s built-in Mail app the same way a Gmail or Outlook account does. You only add it manually, because the app can’t guess the server names for your own domain.

  1. Open Settings, then Mail, then Accounts, then Add Account.
  2. Choose Other, then Add Mail Account.
  3. Enter your name, your full email address, your password and a description.
  4. Pick IMAP at the top of the next screen.
  5. Under incoming mail server, enter the IMAP host name your provider gave you. Under outgoing, enter the SMTP host name.
  6. For both, use your full email address as the username.
  7. Leave SSL/TLS on, and use the ports your provider lists for secure connections.
  8. Tap Save and let the app verify the account. Make sure Mail is switched on when it asks what to sync. Contacts and calendars can be switched on too, if your plan supports them.

A tip for iPad: the setup is identical, and if you use the same account on both, you now have the same mailbox on both. You don’t need to copy anything between them.

Set up business email on an Android phone

Android brands differ in their email apps, but the steps are close to the same.

  1. Open your email app (Gmail, Samsung Email or another) and choose Add account.
  2. Pick Other or Personal (IMAP). Avoid options that say POP3.
  3. Enter your full email address and password.
  4. When asked, choose manual setup and enter the IMAP server, the SMTP server, the ports and the security type (SSL/TLS) from your provider.
  5. Set the sync frequency and, if you want, how many days of mail to keep on the phone.

Do the setup by hand even if the app offers a quick one. Hosting providers warn that some Android phones appear to configure themselves automatically and then never synchronise. The reliable workaround is to confirm IMAP is selected and to enter the server and port details yourself.

The same logic applies if you use a third-party app on either platform, such as Outlook, Spark or Thunderbird. Choose the generic IMAP option rather than a provider-specific shortcut that doesn’t match your domain.

Syncing on your computer and in webmail

On a computer you have two choices, and both sync.

Webmail. Log in from any browser. Nothing is stored locally, so it’s always the same mailbox that your phone sees. This is the simplest option on a shared or borrowed computer.

A desktop mail app. Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird all connect over IMAP and SMTP using the same details as your phone. Set the account type to IMAP, enter both servers and sign in with your full address.

If you also use a calendar and contacts, check that your provider supports syncing them to your devices, and set them up in the same step. Tinymail includes an integrated calendar and contacts alongside the mailbox, plus IMAP/SMTP sync and webmail access, so one account covers all three.

Syncing on your computer and in webmail

How to sync email from one phone to another

People often ask this when they buy a new phone. The answer is that you don’t transfer email at all. You reconnect to it.

  1. On the new phone, add your account over IMAP as described above.
  2. Wait for the first sync. Your folders and messages appear because they were on the server all along.
  3. Check the Sent and Drafts folders are mapped correctly in the app’s account settings.
  4. Sign out of the old phone, or remove the account, once you’ve confirmed everything is there.

The exception is mail stored only on the old device. That happens if the account used POP, or if you saved messages into “On My iPhone” or local folders. Before wiping the old phone, move those messages into a server folder from the old device, or export them from a computer.

Why your email isn’t syncing, and how to fix it

Work through these in order. Most sync problems are solved in the first three steps.

1. Check the account type

Open the account’s settings and confirm it says IMAP, not POP. With POP on a phone, messages you send may not show up in the Sent folder in webmail, and the sent-mail behaviour on IMAP can differ, for example by using a separate folder such as “Sent Items”, according to a mobile-device setup note from Redtail. If the account is POP, delete it and add it again as IMAP.

1. Check the account type

2. Check the folder mapping

If sent mail seems to vanish, the app may be saving it to a local folder or to a differently named server folder. In the account’s advanced settings, point Sent, Drafts, Trash and Archive to the matching server folders.

3. Check the password and the server details

A changed password, a typo in a host name or the wrong security type will stop updates quietly. Re-enter the incoming and outgoing details. Use your full email address as the username for both.

4. Change the fetch behaviour on iPhone

In Settings, Mail, Accounts, Fetch New Data, switch the account between Push and Fetch or Manual. Users in Apple’s support community report that toggling this can force a fresh sync. Also check that Background App Refresh is on for Mail, and that Low Power Mode isn’t delaying updates.

5. Check the battery and data settings on Android

Android’s battery saver can stop background sync. In the email app’s settings, make sure sync is on for the account, and allow the app to run in the background without restrictions.

6. Remove and re-add the account

If nothing works, remove the account from the device and add it again manually. Because IMAP keeps everything on the server, you don’t lose mail by doing this.

A short checklist when you move business email from big tech

Moving to a Canadian provider is mostly a matter of planning. The phones are where problems show up first, because every employee has to reconnect. Canadian IT firms that publish migration guidance say much the same thing, so the checklist below is built from it.

  • Tell people what’s changing. Myriad Technologies advises telling staff whether they need new sign-in details, whether Outlook or their phone’s mail app must be reconnected, how to reach shared mailboxes and calendars, and where to get help.
  • Don’t assume apps will reconnect themselves. NorthStar IT notes that changing where mail is delivered is not the whole job. Mail apps on phones can need account, profile or authentication changes, so test a few representative devices and write down the instructions.
  • Check the copy before you switch off the old system. The same guide says a “successful” migration status isn’t proof that every message arrived. Review the logs and skipped items and confirm a sample of mailboxes.
  • Plan sign-in security. Myriad also recommends planning multi-factor authentication as part of the move, reviewing mailbox permissions and forwarding rules, and confirming backup and recovery arrangements.
  • Set up your domain’s authentication. Fusion Computing’s 2026 Canadian SMB checklist says SPF, DKIM and DMARC should be configured and enforced on company domains, with DMARC set to quarantine or reject rather than monitor only. It also reports that most Canadian SMBs still run DMARC in monitor-only mode. If you want a wider look at business email hosting services and the security practices around them, that is a good place to compare notes.

If you don’t yet own a domain, our guide on getting a domain for email in Canada walks through the options before you set anything up on a phone.

Our perspective on syncing, privacy and where your mail lives

We think of syncing as a trust question as much as a technical one. When your inbox shows up on a phone, a tablet and a laptop, one copy of your mail sits on a server, and the other devices are windows onto it. So where that server is matters.

At Tinymail, that server is in Canada. All customer email data is hosted exclusively here, in line with PIPEDA, because we believe Canadian businesses and individuals should be able to keep their communication under Canadian jurisdiction rather than hand it to a foreign provider by default.

Privacy is a commitment for us, not a feature we added. We do not use AI anywhere in our service. We built a straightforward mail platform with IMAP/SMTP sync, webmail, an integrated calendar and contacts, spam and malware protection and DKIM/DMARC alignment, and we work to keep your data safe.

We also believe pricing should be as clear as the setup. Plans are billed annually, with no complicated monthly fees, so a startup or a solo professional knows what the year costs on day one.

Aaron Manfred

Get a Canadian mailbox that syncs everywhere

If you’re ready to run your own domain on a mailbox that stays in Canada, Tinymail offers plans based on mailbox count and storage, all billed yearly:

  • Solo: $19.99 CAD per year
  • Startup: $39.99 CAD per year
  • Business: $59.99 CAD per year
  • Business Plus: $99.99 CAD per year
  • Team: $179.99 CAD per year

Every plan connects over IMAP and SMTP, so the setup steps above work on iPhone, Android and desktop. See the Tinymail plans and pick the one that fits your team.

Tinymail

We can also help with domain registration support if you’re starting from scratch.

FAQ

How do I sync my email across all my devices?

Add the same account to each device as an IMAP account, with your full email address as the username and your provider’s incoming and outgoing server names. IMAP keeps the mailbox on the server, so read status, folders and deletions match everywhere. Avoid POP, which downloads mail to a single device.

Why isn’t my Android email app syncing?

The account may have been set up automatically as the wrong type. Remove it and add it again manually, choosing IMAP and entering the server and port details yourself. Then check that sync is switched on for the account and that battery saver isn’t restricting the app in the background.

Why is mail not syncing across my Apple devices?

Check that the account is IMAP and that Mail is enabled for the account on every device. On the iPhone, try changing Fetch New Data between Push and Manual and confirm Background App Refresh is on. If it still fails, remove the account and add it back; your mail is stored on the server and stays safe.

Can I use my own domain address on my phone?

Yes. A custom domain account works like any other IMAP account on iPhone, iPad and Android. Add it with the “Other” or manual option, enter your provider’s IMAP and SMTP details, and sign in with your full address. Tinymail supports IMAP/SMTP sync and webmail for custom domain addresses.

Do I lose emails when I switch to a new phone?

Not if the account is IMAP, because the mail is on the server and the new phone simply reads it. You can lose messages only if they were saved locally on the old device, so move them to a server folder before you reset it.

Sources

This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.