The Network Manager at Westminster School presents solutions to sticky problems...

Thursday 19 July 2012

Jelly Bean - Accounts and Sync

Okay - your phone has just been updated to Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) and now your mail is not syncing, even though all your account settings say it should be. When you pull up your settings and go to your individual accounts you see the message 'Sync is OFF.'

Somewhere else in the interface as you search for why this just isn't working you find the message "Go to Settings, Accounts and Sync, etc. etc." but when you look at settings there is no 'Accounts and Sync.' What's going on?

Never fear, and do not buy the app "Accounts and Sync Missing" either; you don't need it. There are two ways to turn Sync on in Jelly Bean:

1. If you have the standard "Power control" widget, the auto-sync is the second option button from the right; the one that looks like two arrows circling each other. Enable that button and Sync is back on.

2. Got to Settings, select Data Usage and hit the menu button: Tick "Auto-sync Data" and it has the same effect.

Go back in to Settings and into your accounts: You should now have green sync icons (and lots of emails.) Oh joy!