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Topic: iPhone

Microsoft adds Hotmail ActiveSync support for iPad, iPhone but not yet Android

Summary: Microsoft's Hotmail ActiveSync now is supported on Windows Mobile 6.x, Windows Phone 7, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Nokia E_Series, S-Series and N-Series phones. But it will not work right off the bat with Android devices.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

Microsoft, as promised, began rolling out ActiveSync support for Hotmail on August 30.

Hotmail's support for Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) is available to all existing Hotmail users worldwide today, a spokesperson said. (In other words, this isn't a gradual rollout, like the delivery of the new Wave 4 Hotmail has been.)

The new push synchronization support is supported on Windows Mobile 6.x, Windows Phone 7, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Nokia E_Series, S-Series and N-Series phones. But it will not work right off the bat with Android devices.

According to Microsoft, the "Hotmail team will add Android to list of supported devices in the coming months after testing is completed." Access from Android 2.1 is not currently supported due to known client issues on Android 2.1, Microsoft officials said. However, "(t)here are users successfully syncing from Hotmail via the default application or the Touchdown application on Android 2.2," the Sofites added.

(Update: Microsoft may be saying it is not yet "officially" supporting Android with Hotmail ActiveSync, but my ZDNet UK colleague Mary Branscombe and others say they've gotten EAS to work to varying degrees on various Android phones.)

Microsoft has provided steps for enabling Hotmail ActiveSync on these various devices.

Hotmail ActiveSync enables users to get their mail, calendar and contacts pushed automatically to their phones using the Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Changes made on phones will be reflected on the Web and vice-versa. For users already using e-mail clients on their PCs that currently sync with Hotmail -- like Outlook with the Outlook Connector or Windows Live Mail -- Hotmail sync also will be supported.

LiveSide.net noted back in June 2010 that Microsoft was testing ActiveSync for Hotmail, and that a number of users had it working. In mid-August — shortly after Microsoft announced it had completed rolling out the new Hotmail Wave 4 release to all of its Hotmail users — LiveSide reported that some users were able to access ActiveSync for Hotmail, but some were not

Topics: iPhone, Browser, Collaboration, iPad, Microsoft, Mobility

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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18 comments
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  • Wrong, it DOES work with Android

    I was able to sync email and contacts after configuring the Email app for Hotmail (though the email address must be entered as \name@live.com with that slash at the front of the email address.
    shawn.keene@...
    Reply Vote

    • It's not wrong

      @shawn.keene@...

      They say it *may* not work, likely because it isn't fully tested. As of right now, problems with Android and EAS are not supported by their technical support staff. This is another case of "unsupported" != "unsupported".

      If it works, good for you. If it doesn't, Microsoft won't help you right now. That's all that means.
      Joe_Raby
      Reply Vote

      • Hotmail is irrelevant

        Hotmail is irrelevant with Android and the mobile space in general. The main reason I shy away from hotmail (msn) and yahoo mail Clients and apps is cause of the amount out bloat they love to shove down users throats.

        Hotmail and Yahoo are a constant source of junk mail, virus and vulnerabilities.

        Microsoft and Yahoo do good to stay away from Android.

        Yahoo?s Android mail client uses so much bloat that the app. lasted three minutes on my phone, it slowed it on half!

        Wise users should avoid these apps. Its just as simple to use web versions of them, and you don?t get any bloat, all of it stays localized on the providers servers.

        Sync on Android works and that's all you really need.
        Uralbas
        Reply Vote

    • Message has been deleted.

      fghkjk
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Microsoft adds Hotmail ActiveSync support for iPad, iPhone but not yet Android

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  • RE: Microsoft adds Hotmail ActiveSync support for iPad, iPhone but not yet Android

    I know 2 people that still have Hotmail accounts, both retired a decade or more ago. It would be 3,500 times more beneficial to me if Microsoft would provide direct iPad/Phone ActiveSync to Outlook contacts, calendar, and notes. It could also be a reason to upgrade to Office 2010.
    vellisor
    Reply Vote

    • Hotmail has more than twice as many active users as gmail

      so your personal perspective is severely skewed and likely to be of very little interest. That said I'm sure what youre asking for is coming anyway...
      Johnny Vegas
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Microsoft adds Hotmail ActiveSync support for iPad, iPhone but not yet Android

      @vellisor LOL! Your anecdotal evidence doesn't amount to sh*t, considering that Hotmail is far, far bigger than Gmail.
      JoeHTH
      Reply Vote

  • Waiting for iOS4 for iPad.....

    I already use Activesync for a business email account, but I also have 2 Hotmail accounts that I'd like to get syncing with the email app so that I have everything in one place.
    Joe_Raby
    Reply Vote

  • good news

    Gmail, yahoo mail and hotmail all services to the iphone or ipad ,which only shows that iphone and ipad are very popular , congratulate Apple . and this is a nice article about iphone:
    everything you need to know about iphone .
    http://aneesoft.com/tutorials/iphone/iphone-4-new-features.html
    xiaoa
    Reply Vote

  • Hotmail Sync has Sunk

    Now, if only Microsoft can get Hotmail to sync with Outlook. Seems Outlook Connector has issues of late.
    carrilion
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Microsoft adds Hotmail ActiveSync support for iPad, iPhone but not yet Android

      @carrilion It would be nice if you could use Exchange connection to Hotmail in Outlook as 2010 supports multiple Exchange accounts, but I tried today and it won't connect.

      The problem I have is that I need Windows Phone 7 now to be able to sync my Hotmail and corporate Exchange accounts!
      richardjgreen
      Reply Vote

  • Live EAS

    I configured my N1, so I have Gmail and Live stuff in one place. My personal take is that it is quite impressive and push notification and calendar sync work amazingly beside Google calendar and Gmail.
    amir.mohtasebi@...
    Reply Vote

  • HP's WebOS - Palm Pre

    Any chance the Palm Pre / WebOS will see ActiveSync?
    FUTURESULTS
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft adds Hotmail ActiveSync support for iPad, iPhone but not yet Android

    I use OutlookReflex to bring my outlook emails to android
    peterpk85
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