I'd be grateful if someone in the know would clue me in:
Stock Android, I believe since 2.0, has supported multiple Exchange sync accounts (at least for email sync, and probably contacts). Running the
Android emulator on the desktop, I can configure as many accounts as I please.
However... I just took delivery of a Samsung Fascinate (Verizon) and as hard as I try, I can't make it configure a second account (it dumps me into the 'edit' UI for the first account when I ask to create a second one).
So I tried an HTC Incredible that we have here. Same behavior !
Yet, when I Google search 'samsung galaxy s multiple exchange accounts', I find a bunch of people claiming to be using multiple accounts.
What's up with this? Am I just not doing the setup correctly, or did Samsung remove this capability from the devices recently ?
I also figured I could install the stock Android email app as a workaround, but that doesn't exactly seem to be a 'one-click' process. K-9 has no ActiveSync support, so that isn't useful.
Can't speak for anyone else, but I have yet to see any Android phone that supports multiple Exchange accounts out of the box. That's one of the reasons I bought Touchdown, as it supports multiple Exchange profiles. Of course, only one of them can be active at a time, but if I needed to have two accounts active simultaneously, I could use Touchdown for one, and the stock email app for the other. Oh, and just FYI, I didn't mean for this to become a Touchdown advertisement. ^^;
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Actually, I have a Touchdown license so this is a good plan.
Presumably the situation is this : stock Android supports multiple accounts but none of the device vendor skins do, yet. Correct ? (and it isn't possible to manifest the stock Android behavior side-by-side with the vendor skin).
I was just coming in here to ask this question. I would like a way to get multiple exchange accounts too. Since it was supported in 2.0 on up i think we should be able to get this to work. Unless Samsung messed this up for us.
Hmm, I thought Sammy left the stock Android email app on the Fascinate, but it looks as though they modified it just enough to cripple it. :-(
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There are actually good reasons NOT to do this. Corporate IT admins have massive problems with this, and because Google/Sammy/etc. are actually TRYING to work with corporate IT... you end up with this.
Outlook doesn't allow it either, nor does any other mail program which respects Activesync conventions.
It has to do with security... and compartmentalization.
The Droid X and the Droid supported 2nd Exchange accounts.
I'm sorry, but I disagree that this is a security issue. They are completely disparate accounts, and this functionality should be stock on all Android phones.
That said, the Samsung client is the worst of all of them, and Touchdown is the best option, IMHO.
Gurm said:
There are actually good reasons NOT to do this. Corporate IT admins have massive problems with this, and because Google/Sammy/etc. are actually TRYING to work with corporate IT... you end up with this.
Outlook doesn't allow it either, nor does any other mail program which respects Activesync conventions.
It has to do with security... and compartmentalization.
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Oh, really? That's interesting. I work on the helpdesk for an IT company that hosts Exchange servers (and much more) for dozens of clients, including numerous medical and financial institutions (i.e. security is a significant concern), and I have never heard about any such security issue. Please explain to me how being able to setup multiple Exchange accounts on a single device is such a huge security concern, and include links to references if possible, as I may want to present the information at our security meeting, which I'm actually attending tomorrow. No joke, that's my job, and I am on the security team.
Btw, Microsoft themselves eliminated the single Exchange account limitation with Outlook 2010. It's still not unlimited, but you can now have three Exchange accounts per Outlook profile. Oh, and did I mention that iOS 4 now also supports multiple Exchange accounts per device? So yeah, if you have any links to share about these alleged security nightmares, feel free to enlighten me.
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8notime said:
That said, the Samsung client is the worst of all of them, and Touchdown is the best option, IMHO.
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While I tend to agree with you, I'd like to point out that I haven't seen any issues with actually reliably syncing with an Exchange server with the Fascinate, whereas the mail client on the original Droid was plagued with bugs, and while it improved later on, one of the more recent post-Froyo patches broke the ability to sync with Exchange 2010 (which has since been fixed).
Also, if I remember correctly, the helpdesk I work on got a bunch of calls from clients who bought the Droid X when it first came out, because it couldn't sync with Exchange 2003, which was a pretty serious bug. Motorola had apparently tested it thoroughly with Exchange 2007 and 2010, but never with 2003. It was so bad that they were giving away licenses for Touchdown for free to anyone that complained, until they were able to issue a patch for it.
Anyway, no mail client is perfect, and all have their pros and cons. Which stock one is better or worse depends on whether the features that don't work right matter to you or not. Me, I'll stick with Touchdown, which basically mops the floor with the stock mail clients, just in sheer volume of features alone.
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IOS 4, android 2.* and up and WP7 all support multiple exchange accounts. Unfortunatley Samsung messed this up for us.
I wonder if there is a way to pull the AOSP e-mail.apk and try that? Or if there would be another way around this.
Since someone got a little cranky I will elaborate on the security problem.
The issue is largely one of partition. Let me paint a scenario...
I am government contractor x. I provide you with exchange on your phone. Your phone very helpfully merges all your data together. That violates my policies. Additionally, your android device doesn't respect remote wipe, remote lock, or security policy for disclaimers, password complexity, etc.
But the biggest issue is that the exchange data isn't self-contained.
If the phone, client, or whatever provides partitioning of the data then multiple accounts becomes a possibility.
Essentially I as an exchange admin don't want some other company's mail cross pollinating with mine. And because my company is in Massachusetts, it's actually a violation of state law at this point to let our emails into someone else's system.
Outlook 2010 supports separate cache files, contact lists, and all other data... So it can do multiple accounts. The iphone doesn't, and neither does droid.
I love my android phone, but I cannot let the end users have them, because we can't secure thee data. Full stop.
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And yes, ios 4 and some iterations of droid do allow this, but not in s way that is kosher with either microsoft or your mail admins.
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Hehe, I wasn't cranky. I just wanted some additional info to back up a rather vague, blanket statement about data security. I could go on to discuss security issues, but it looks like your concerns exist at a much higher level. If the Android platform as a whole is too insecure for you to allow, then whether or not a phone supports multiple Exchange accounts is irrelevant. That being the case, I won't draw this on much longer, as it's beginning to drift off topic.
Based on what you've listed as your security requirements, I believe Touchdown actually has a strong enough feature set to safely allow Android devices to work in your environment. It supports a healthy set of Exchange security policies, namely remote wipe, PIN/password policies, and complete data encryption (it even encrypts the data it stores on the SD card), and since it only allows one account per profile, and all data is contained within the application itself, and not mixed on the phone, the partition requirement is met. Plus, you can deploy a template that dictates desired config settings for the app, and locks them down to prevent users from changing them. Oh, and don't forget the added benefit of standardization, in that you would only have a single email app to support, regardless of which Android device end users have. The only real down side is the added cost, as it's extra software to buy. And for those wondering, no, I do NOT work for NitroDesk, the makers of Touchdown.
I apologize if I'm still failing to understand any of your points in all this. I do have an interest in security topics like this, and while I'm not completely ignorant, I'm by no means an expert either, not by a long shot. If you'd like to discuss this any further, feel free to PM me, so we don't get any further off topic in this thread. Thanks!
Gurm said:
Essentially I as an exchange admin don't want some other company's mail cross pollinating with mine. And because my company is in Massachusetts, it's actually a violation of state law at this point to let our emails into someone else's system.
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I have never in my life heard of this happening, nor is there any proof that it's technically possible. I get the whole concept of all data being on the same partition, but cross pollination? They are totally different accounts, with their own data stores.
If a companies security policy is this strict, they probably shouldn't have any phone connecting to their network, unless they have a device management tool in place that prohibits installation of any 3rd party apps unless they install them themselves. Oh and they should probably remove the camera too, if they're a government contractor with this much security in place.
I don't think the Fascinate was designed for a company like this.
Just to throw in my 2 cents. A division of the company i work for engineers nuclear plants and because of the strict government regulations only blackberries are permited because other platforms are not secure enough.
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8notime said:
I have never in my life heard of this happening, nor is there any proof that it's technically possible. I get the whole concept of all data being on the same partition, but cross pollination? They are totally different accounts, with their own data stores.
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Really? Your contact list isn't comprised of all the contacts from all the accounts? Do you keep strict track of which little yellow "new mail" envelope you've just pulled down? It can't happen? Think again.
If a companies security policy is this strict, they probably shouldn't have any phone connecting to their network, unless they have a device management tool in place that prohibits installation of any 3rd party apps unless they install them themselves. Oh and they should probably remove the camera too, if they're a government contractor with this much security in place.
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Yup. Guess why Blackberries are still the biggest corporate device? For exactly this reason. Why is there always a Blackberry variant with no camera? BINGO.
I don't think the Fascinate was designed for a company like this.
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No Droid or iPhone was.
Then why are we even having this conversation? We're talking about the Fascinate.
Also, we were talking about email, not contacts. Emails are stored in entirely different data stores. I don't have 1 giant inbox with emails from both accounts. They are totally separated.
8notime said:
Then why are we even having this conversation? We're talking about the Fascinate.
Also, we were talking about email, not contacts. Emails are stored in entirely different data stores. I don't have 1 giant inbox with emails from both accounts. They are totally separated.
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Because Exchange isn't POP or IMAP. It's an entire comm system. It's not just mail, it's contacts and calendar and notes and public folders and a half dozen other things.
If you just want to sync the contents of two Exchange inboxes, sure there's no TECHNICAL reason you can't. But that's not how Exchange WORKS, typically. I'm sure you could write a client that does that, but as yet folks haven't.
You can go in and uncheck to sync the calendar and contacts, but new "events" will still arrive and have to be thrown out by the client. Essentially you would need to write MORE code to NOT have the entire system than you would to HAVE it.
I'm sorry but that isn't true. Like I said earlier, I was able to add more than one Exchange account - contacts, calendar, and email - on both my Droid and Droid X. One Exchange account for work, and the other a personal account through a hosted Exchange provider. There was no "cross pollination" between either account, and each had a completely separate inbox/data stores. So not only is it technically possible, the functionality is also available for use. Also, as a security professional, I think there are other real security concerns/vulnerabilities to focus on, than something that has never been proven to be one.
8notime said:
I'm sorry but that isn't true. Like I said earlier, I was able to add more than one Exchange account - contacts, calendar, and email - on both my Droid and Droid X. One Exchange account for work, and the other a personal account through a hosted Exchange provider. There was no "cross pollination" between either account, and each had a completely separate inbox/data stores. So not only is it technically possible, the functionality is also available for use. Also, as a security professional, I think there are other real security concerns/vulnerabilities to focus on, than something that has never been proven to be one.
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I understand that you have done it before. I've done it too on an iPhone. My point is that the capability to do so is not something that comes pre-cooked in an Exchange client. MS didn't do it until recently themselves. Given that a lot of the stuff in the Fascinate is pre-2.1 due to Samsung's pidgin kernel (really a 1.5 or 1.6 kernel hacked up for 2.1, from what I've read on here) I'm not at all surprised that functionality only recently available is missing.
Like I said - it takes more code to do it than not to do it... don't hold your breath for it from Samsung, although anything is possible in 2.2!
Hi, there
New to this forum group, having just taken delivery of SGS2, with three.co.uk.
Prior to this I had an HTC HD2 with O2 UK, and made much use of the HD2 forum groups in modding that phone.
This forum group has been so active, I see a steep learning curve ahead. This is all to the good - it means folks are enthusiastic about this phone.
A major reason for me choosing the SGS2 was that Samsung Exchange client supports SMS sync with Exchange 2010 accounts.
This is vital for work, as I can send up to 1000 sms a month to clients and staff.
With SMS sync, I can keep a message history for past and current issues and projects.
My question is: should I stick to the standard Samsung ROM (it isn't "3" branded, as I got it through a reseller, and came unlocked) to keep SMS sync?
Or, can I give in to my inner geek and get modding?
There seem to be 2 main branches for mods - Samsung ROM based and "other" ROM based.
If I were to install a modded ROM would I preserve the functionality?
Or, could I reinstall the Samsung Exchange client if it wasn't present in a modded ROM?
Please excuse me if the answer is out there. I have done extensive reading and searching, but haven't found an answer yet.
If the answer to my question is "search some more, son, this has been answered already", please let me know politely.
I would suggest learning first which things do you need to be able to run SMS sync. If the only thing you need its Samsung Exchange Client, you can use any ROM you like and you can install Samsung Exchange Client app in there so you would be able to run SMS sync without problems.
If SMS sync requires certain kernel or more deeper system stuff, it would be harder to move to another ROM.
Hi, AzureusPT, and thanks for replying
I suspect it is just the Samsung Exchange client I need - it is the only one, other than WM6.1/6.5 that has the SMS sync feature enabled. Standard Android and other variants (HTC, etc.), Apple and Windows Phone 7/7.5 don't enable the necessary features.
I've tried Nitrodesk Touchdown (on a HTC Wildfire I set up for my Mom as a second phone) and it's implementation is spotty.
I guess you're right - I will have to bite the bullet and try out various options. It will be the only way to know for sure what is necessary. From your comment, I take it the Samsung email (Exchange) client is available as a separate download?
Also, I see you are using HyperDroid-Androidmeda - I was thinking of giving that a go as my first ROM rooting adventure. Is it a variant of the Samsung ROM?
I'd also be very interested about this.
Here's another (older) thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1012634
I have searched endlessly for an answer to my question and maybe I am missing something, but my exchange email service is very flaky. I carry two phones (iPhone 4s - work ATT and the Note - personal ATT) and the Note will just stop getting my exchange emails throughout the day. I have tried everything. Currently I am Dag Overclocked Kernel and Saurom RC4a but I went back to stock rom, I exchanged for a new note, and every thing I do the system still fails to deliver mail consistently.
I dont have Juice Defender running, I have no peak scheduling set up, and all power savings are turned off. Does anybody have any ideas? Can it be an exchange server configuration? My iPhone always works, and this is driving me nuts.
Jason
I was going to post this exact same thing. I have my email on my iPhone and my Note, both from the same exchange server. My iPhone consistently gets email long before my Note does.
Are you using office 365/exchange online by any chance?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note
We are using Exchange 2007, and we are in the process of migrating to the latest version. In the meantime, I installed Touchdown for Activesync on my Note, and it seems to be very consistent, in so much that it gets all my emails before any of my other devices, including my desktop at work!
I guess i will license a copy if it makes it through the week with no hiccups. Stupid that it cost 20 bucks to get my mail working correctly. I cant believe the default app on the Note cannot handle my work email needs.
Sounds like you are running an in-house mail server. I didn't ask which version of Exchange you were connecting to but specifically if you were using Microsoft-hosted Exchange as part of the Office 365 or Exchange Online program. They have a server redirection setup that some versions of the Android mail client do not understand, so when they change servers on you on the back end (which happens with alarming frequency) the Samsung mail client is unable to connect to the mail server. iOS devices know how to handle the internal redirection as do some versions of Android mail. But not the version on the AT&T Galaxy Note. ICS is rumored to fix this. Anyway, that's probably not your issue, but it is mine and my symptoms are identical.
I have Touchdown as well; it has a lot of features but I don't love the interface, and there's a lot to be said for having a single email client for multiple accounts. Default Android mail is woeful and has always been so IMHO. Have you looked at Enhanced Email? I would use that except it is very hard to deal with if you have many folders and you try to move messages from your inbox to your nested folders (I've submitted a feature request for them to handle that the way Touchdown does, but I don't think it's a high priority item for them because it's been missing for a long time).
Maybe you can troubleshoot with your Exchange admin when you fail to receive messages and they can look into debug logs.
For the HTC Email stock JB 4.1 app, on some emails with web links in the body of the email the email app doesn't give hyperlink. I have to copy it then open a web broswer, then paste, etc. Also, say i get a package confirmation email with a tracking number. On my iPhone the tracking number was a link directly to UPS and my package so i can just tap that tracking number, web browser opens and shows tracking status. Again HTC mail app fails here and have to copy tracking number, open web browser, to to ups.com, paste tracking number, etc to do the same thing. Is the HTC stock email app just not that smart for such simple requests/features that i would think would be standard by now?
The reason why i use the stock email is because i have both yahoo and gmail accounts so this email app groups them into one inbox so it's easy to read having this one app in the dock. If i didn't use the HTC email app then i would have to put both yahoo app and gmail app in the dock wasting a spot since the dock only allows 4 apps.
Anyone know a way around this or maybe a better email app that can group several accounts into 1 inbox like the HTC email app and offer hyperlinks to all web addresses included in the email body? Maybe asking for a tracking number hyperlink is too much with this device, lol? Thanks
I think you can blame Apple for that. Lots out there about it.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2
droidiac13 said:
I think you can blame Apple for that. Lots out there about it.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2
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Blame Apple for spoiling me with their email app. Wish this HTC one had more features or could find one that does :/
Didn't know there were links problem with HTC stock mail app, but, i've also notified that this app is not as smooth as it looks since you can't choice push synchronization, you have to choice a period of time or the smartsync (wich works like a ****)
I'd prefer to use HTC mail app than Gmail app, since htc looks better, but well... gmail default's app works much better.
Maybe you can try other mail apps like K-9, for example
I have never had this issue with HTC's mail app.
On my old phone, I would use Enhanced Email. This is a very nice paid email app that can deal with the security that some exchange serves have.
I poked around in my settings looking for something that might cause your problem, but I couldn't find anything. If no one here suggests something useful, try stopping in the ATT store and having them look at it, or call 911 and explain the problem there.
Having played with my girl friends iPhone from time to time, I have always found the Android to be a bit better.
Also, afaik, the only way you get true push mail is with an MS exchange account, or using a Blackberry.
joshua43214 said:
I have never had this issue with HTC's mail app.
On my old phone, I would use Enhanced Email. This is a very nice paid email app that can deal with the security that some exchange serves have.
I poked around in my settings looking for something that might cause your problem, but I couldn't find anything. If no one here suggests something useful, try stopping in the ATT store and having them look at it, or call 911 and explain the problem there.
Having played with my girl friends iPhone from time to time, I have always found the Android to be a bit better.
Also, afaik, the only way you get true push mail is with an MS exchange account, or using a Blackberry.
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Found enhanced email and using the trial version right now. Offers a lot of features the htc stock email doesn't and seems like a winner so far. Thanks guys
deeznuts said:
Found enhanced email and using the trial version right now. Offers a lot of features the htc stock email doesn't and seems like a winner so far. Thanks guys
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HTC email app provides the best features. Try to sync reply status on the iPhone, or try to set out of office with any exchange email client. Push is no longer a problem since the original HTC One X issues. Also, the productivity lockscreen (which is the only reason I have a HTC phone other than any other android phone) only works with the stock email app. I used EE for push while HTC fixed their issues, but I couldn't see my messages without unlocking my phone and I hate to go through putting in my unlock code to realize it was just the latest junk email. I have found that the stock app has more features than EE especially with an exchange server. (Except for bypassing security, which is not a good idea anyway.)
deeznuts said:
For the HTC Email stock JB 4.1 app, on some emails with web links in the body of the email the email app doesn't give hyperlink. I have to copy it then open a web broswer, then paste, etc. Also, say i get a package confirmation email with a tracking number. On my iPhone the tracking number was a link directly to UPS and my package so i can just tap that tracking number, web browser opens and shows tracking status. Again HTC mail app fails here and have to copy tracking number, open web browser, to to ups.com, paste tracking number, etc to do the same thing. Is the HTC stock email app just not that smart for such simple requests/features that i would think would be standard by now?
The reason why i use the stock email is because i have both yahoo and gmail accounts so this email app groups them into one inbox so it's easy to read having this one app in the dock. If i didn't use the HTC email app then i would have to put both yahoo app and gmail app in the dock wasting a spot since the dock only allows 4 apps.
Anyone know a way around this or maybe a better email app that can group several accounts into 1 inbox like the HTC email app and offer hyperlinks to all web addresses included in the email body? Maybe asking for a tracking number hyperlink is too much with this device, lol? Thanks
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I'm actually using a Droid DNA on Verizon, but I found this thread while searching for an answer to this same question. I came from an HTC Thunderbolt and the hyperlinks in emails worked perfectly. I'm trying to find out what changed to remove that feature!
deeznuts said:
Blame Apple for spoiling me with their email app. Wish this HTC one had more features or could find one that does :/
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Well they sue everyone under the sun. I'm shocked they haven't sued anyone for having a store with 4 walls.
The patents in question include: (1) the ability to unlock the phone by sliding an image; (2) the ability to search for information via voice commands; (3) making use of data as hyperlinks; and (4) searching across multiple sources to find information. Apple argues that all of these features are ones that customers expect from Apple products. In other words, they are unique to Apple products.