My choice for a GPush alternative - Gmail Push Notification

As noted in the previous post, GPush from Tiverias Apps has become a #ZombieApp and has now ceased to work. Many people (especially on Twitter…) are looking for an alternative, as am I.

I thought I would share my reasons for the choice I have made.

What I want.

Ideally I was after :-

1. a FREE app/service that would give me FAST alerts. Sound or text was an added extra but not needed.
2. ALSO – learning from my experience with GPush, I ideally did NOT want to compromise my email security – by either giving out my password OR forwarding my mail.
3. A full push service where the email itself was pushed in real time so I could read it immediately without going to the web Gmail account would also be a major bonus

This limited my choice – a lot!!

1) -  meant that most of the apps in the app store were a no go; and free services – like Boxcar – failed at point 2) and 3) . I gather you forward your email to them, they push a message alert/header and you open a web browser to see the GMail site;  even though they don’t KEEP your messages, I don’t like forwarding my email to a third party;  also I am already forwarding from multiple other accounts TO my Gmail, so do I really want to forward them on again?  However,  I admit – BOXCAR is my backup plan.  

Of course several people  – even Tiverias apps themselves – had said that Google was a good successor. However, “everyone else” said that the Google app was no good! I HAVE had the google iPhone app for many months – and I agree – I never seem to get push notifications over it – although they have been activated.

What I now use.

It seems I and (going by the comments on Twitter) many others, were making a fundamental error; it is NOT the Google APP we want – it is Google Sync – Google’s Push email service for Gmail  – that hooks directly into your inbuilt iPhone Email client/account using a Microsoft exchange service. Let me repeat that IT IS NOT THE GOOGLE APP .

Once I actually looked at the web instructions and set up my iPhone – I received almost instantaneous notifications by a badge alert  (remember I have it set to PUSH not FETCH) with the email immediately readable when I open the mail app. No message header popping up but otherwise exactly what I want. You do have to be careful about the initial set-up, especially if you are NOT syncing your calendar etc with Google (which I don’t – I’m also a MobileMe user) but the instructions are VERY specific.

So there you are – I have a free, fast, safe push email notification service for Gmail that I am confident will not become a #ZombieApp - unless Google liquidates<!>.

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