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!

31 comments:

  1. Top hit on Google for a GOOD reason! thank you guys

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  2. Thank you sir.

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  3. Thanks! Do you know if there is a way to set individual applications to only sync over wifi?

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    1. @mc

      Settings -> Data Usage -> scroll down and select the app -> tick the "Restrict background data" checkbox at the bottom

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  4. The question remains, how can I prevent that sync switches itself off in the first place?

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  5. @mc I'm afraid not.

    @Hans-Georg My guess is that you can't. During the upgrade to Jelly Bean my guess is that certain settings are not transferred, so the best thing to do in that scenario is to turn off all the things that cost you, the user, money. That way you can't ask Google for a refund. That's a totally uniformed guess. It should be a one-time-during-the-upgrade thing.

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  6. ThanksVeryMuch! Thought I Was Going Crazy

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  7. Thanks! I didn't know what this button was for!

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  8. You are a life saver.. i was about to complely reset my phone.. :)

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  9. Oh I feel so dumb now. lol. I guess we're all still learning this new OS!

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  10. Lovely job. Thanks

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  11. thx, it was helpfull.

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  12. Thank you!!! I can't believe yours is the only post I found that suggested this fix, but worked like a charm.

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  13. Thanks, sir, you're life saver. Every else in the Internet are asking to flash the gapps and so forth.

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  14. Any idea how to fix the "sort by" i set to to sort by "read and unread" but it goes back to "most recent" on its own.

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  15. To control individual apps go to Settings > Accounts and choose Google. Here you can chose which apps sync for your various Google accounts (photos, contacts, chrome, etc). I'm on Android 4.2. I found 3rd way to set global sync. When in Gallery settings if turn off Sync photos it turns off syncing globally not just for that app. That to me is a bug sync you think you are just turning off photo syncing. Likewise if turn this back on turning on syncing globally.

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  16. HI, read all posts on the web to try get auto sync going again after Jelly bean upgrade. Still no settings to start auto sync in seetings/ account sync, or settings/ data usage. Also cannot bring up menu for settings in Gallery. My power widget is shwoing sync is on.

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  17. Brilliant! Thanks!

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  18. Thank you! Helped solve the last puzzle!

    Julian

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  19. I have the same problem with my Samsung Galexy tab but can not find accounts and sync

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  20. Hi Anthony, I have a Samsung GS3. After the upgrade to Jelly Bean, the "accounts and Sync" is no longer in the settings and even the auto-sync option button is gone from the power control widget.
    I read somewhere that if your auto-sync option button was off during the upgrade, you can't switch it back on!?
    What to do now?

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  21. Works great! Much oblidged,sir.

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  22. Thanks so much! Works perfect as you say. I was just upgraded this past weekend on my Droid Razr and couldn't figure out why I couldn't sync automatically, nor go successfully to the Play Store. With the NCAA tourney starting today, I can't tell you how important that is! Thanks again.

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  23. Didn't work for me. Still getting the sync triangle and nonstop notification tone :(

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  24. Awesome ONE!

    Yesterday I brought Xperia Z, familiar with almost everything accept that I can't able to sync my background data when i'm on "mobile data". On WiFi things are working.

    Got me curious, not frustrated coz I love technology ;-). After browsing some lousy form, feeling good to land here.

    Thanks for resolving my problem so easily.

    for my phone this worked: (Got to Settings, select Data Usage and hit the menu button: Tick "Auto-sync Data" and it has the same effect.)

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  25. well, after what seems like an eternity waiting for JB for xperia S, finally got it yesterday and cant figure out how to sync arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggg.

    thanks man, your a legend :p

    maybe you can answer me this :- My home screen will not auto rotate (menus,apps, anything else does), i believed this function was incorporated into JB ? can you confirm it works ?

    again thanks.

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  26. Thank you!! ever since i updated my xperia s to jelly bean it's been driving me crazy! my phone was automatically syncing photos to my google account and eating up all my data plan basically, the sync button from the widgets was missing and so was the accounts and sync option from menu! managed to fix it bu turning it off from the data usuage like you suggested in the second option. thank you again!

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  27. There is another way : For those who don't see it in the menu. Go to Settings : Setup guide and at step three : Accounts & Sync - there it is: ON or OFF. Control it.

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