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Update: Could these two simple fixes help your iOS 4/Google Sync issues?

Two readers sent in two simple fixes that they claimed solved their iOS 4/Google sync/Exchange issues.

Update, Wed June 23rd, 10 am PT: Google says that as of Tuesday, most of the sync issues should be fixed. According to the statement by 'Advisor Angela', the slowdown was not caused by any technical bugs related to iOS 4, but simply due to the update forcing too many users at once to re-download all of their data from Google's servers. I've bolded the interesting bits:

The sync issues with email, calendar, and contacts for devices using Google Sync should now be resolved.

Yesterday’s release of iOS4 and the subsequent re-syncing of data by tens of thousands of users led to a high level of demand which overloaded our servers, disrupting Google Sync services for all devices. Our engineering teams have been working nonstop to add more resources and stabilize the service, and have made several improvements to ease the problem. Sync performance should be much improved now, and we’ll continue to monitor it closely.

Please note that Google engineers have tested a pre-release version of iOS4, and are continuing the certification process with the final build. We’re using it internally and it seems to work well. We’ll post an announcement to this forum when our tests are complete and if we find any compatibility issues with the upgrade.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience this recent outage has caused. We use the service too and we know how frustrating it can be when it’s not working well. We’re working to improve the quality of the Google Sync service, and thank you for your patience. We recognize the importance of increasing the reliability of our system and will continue to make improvements towards that end.

Sincerely, Angela

Two readers sent me e-mails with deceptively simple-sounding fixes for the iOS 4/Gmail sync/Exchange issues. Could they help you?

1. "Did you turn it on and off?" That's my favorite line from the BBC comedy, the IT Crowd (that's how one of the put-upon geeks in the basement automatically answers any support call). Its always sound advice, as William Connolly wrote. After installing iOS 4, he was asked to change his iPhone passcode. When his e-mail didn't come down, he rebooted his iPhone and voila! The synchronization started to work. Moral: after a major installation, reboot even if the app/OS update doesn't ask you. Just a minute out of your life.

2. Eat into your non-unlimited AT&T 3G data quota. Another reader, William Butler, says he fixed his Exchange synchronization issues by turning off the Wi-Fi and using 3G only. Yes, somehow downgrading to a (presumably) slower wireless technology was the panacea for his server synchronization problems. But it worked!

As I posted on another blog about this issue, Microsoft hasn't publicly commented (nor has Apple). Google, meanwhile, is posting regular updates. The last one I've seen, from Google employee MrEvan on Tuesday morning 8:10 am PT, says the iOS 4 upgrade created "additional load" on Google's servers, resulting in "sync delays". Google appears to be working hard on this issue, but MrEvan has no timetable for the fix. Watch this blog or the Google forums.

Were you able to get Google Sync/Exchange working again? Please share.

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