Gmail Not Syncing on Android/iPhone
Quick answer: Force a manual sync by pulling down to refresh, confirm Gmail sync is toggled on in your phone's account settings, and if that fails, remove and re-add the account — your mail stays on Google's servers the whole time.
This is one of the more forgiving problems I cover — most of the time, one of these steps clears it up fast.
1. Check your internet connection
Open any other app that needs data — a browser works fine for this. Broken there too? Not a Gmail problem, it's your connectivity.
2. Manually force a sync
- Open the Gmail app.
- Pull down on the inbox list to refresh.
- Nothing happens? Close the app fully and reopen it.
3. Android: check account sync settings
- Settings → Accounts → select your Google account.
- Make sure Gmail sync is toggled on.
- Tap Account sync → three-dot menu → Sync now.
4. iPhone: check Mail Fetch settings
- Settings → Mail → Accounts → Fetch New Data.
- Confirm Push is on, or Fetch is set to a short interval — not Manual.
5. Clear the app's cache (Android only)
- Settings → Apps → Gmail → Storage → Clear Cache — not Clear Data, which wipes local settings you'd have to redo.
6. Remove and re-add the account
This fixes the vast majority of persistent sync failures I've seen. Your mail stays safely on Google's servers the entire time — removing the account here only removes the local link between it and your phone.
- Settings → Accounts → select account → Remove account.
- Reopen Gmail and add the account again, completing every sign-in and permission prompt fully.
Still stuck? Check the Google Workspace Status Dashboard — occasionally it really is on Google's end, not your device.
Using Gmail on the web or desktop rather than a mobile app? See our guide on Gmail not sending or receiving emails.