Fix: Gmail Not Updating or Syncing on iPhone (7 Solutions That Actually Work)

Gmail stops updating or syncing on iPhone because of poor internet connection, outdated app versions, incorrect account settings, or cached data problems. You can fix this in minutes by force refreshing Gmail, checking your connection, updating the app, or resetting your account settings.

Let’s walk through the actual fixes that solve this problem.

Why Gmail Stops Syncing on Your iPhone

Before jumping to solutions, it helps to understand why this happens. Gmail syncing relies on three things working together: your internet connection, your iPhone’s settings, and the Gmail app itself.

When any of these breaks down, you get stuck with old emails or no new messages at all.

Common culprits include:

• Weak or unstable WiFi or cellular data
• Outdated Gmail app
• Background app refresh turned off
• Too many emails in your account
• Corrupted app cache or data
• Incorrect account configuration
• iPhone running an old iOS version

The good news is that fixing this doesn’t require tech skills. Most solutions take less than five minutes.

Solution 1: Force Refresh Your Gmail App

This is the fastest fix and solves the problem about 30% of the time.

Open Gmail on your iPhone. Look at the top left corner where your profile picture is. Pull down from the top of your inbox with your finger. You’ll see a small refresh icon appear.

Keep pulling until the refresh completes. Wait 10 seconds.

Check if new emails arrive. If not, move to solution two.

Why this works: The Gmail app sometimes gets stuck in a loading state. Forcing a refresh clears this without closing the app or losing your place.

Solution 2: Check Your Internet Connection

Gmail needs a stable connection to work properly.

Open any web browser on your iPhone. Visit Google.com. If the page loads slowly or doesn’t load at all, your internet is the problem.

Test your connection this way:

1. Switch between WiFi and cellular data
2. Move closer to your WiFi router
3. Restart your router by unplugging it for 30 seconds
4. If using cellular, check if you have an active data plan

After fixing your connection, go back to Gmail and pull to refresh.

Pro tip: If you’re on WiFi but it’s slow, switch to cellular data temporarily. Sometimes this instantly fixes syncing because the Gmail servers respond better to cellular connections in certain areas.

Solution 3: Turn Off and Restart Background App Refresh

Gmail needs permission to update in the background. If this setting is off, emails won’t sync unless you actively open the app.

Open Settings on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap General. Look for Background App Refresh and tap it.

Find Gmail in the list. Make sure the toggle next to it is turned on (green). If it’s off, tap it to enable it.

Go back to Settings. Open Mail. Tap Accounts. Select your Gmail account. Look for Mail Days to Sync. Change this to 1 month or longer if it’s set to something shorter.

Now open Gmail and wait 30 seconds. New emails should start appearing.

Why this matters: Gmail can’t fetch new messages if the app isn’t allowed to run in the background. This is the second most common cause of syncing problems.

Solution 4: Update the Gmail App to the Latest Version

Outdated apps often have bugs that prevent syncing.

Open the App Store on your iPhone. Tap the search icon at the bottom. Type Gmail. Tap the Gmail app from Google. If you see an Update button (not Get), tap it. Wait for the update to finish.

Once updated, close Gmail completely. Double tap the home button on older iPhones or swipe up from the bottom on newer models. Swipe the Gmail card up to close it. Then reopen Gmail.

Check if emails sync now.

This fix works because updated versions fix known bugs and improve how the app communicates with Gmail servers.

Solution 5: Remove and Re-Add Your Gmail Account

Sometimes the account connection gets corrupted. Removing and re-adding it resets everything.

Open Settings on your iPhone. Scroll to Mail. Tap Accounts. Select your Gmail account. Tap Delete Account at the bottom.

Choose Delete from My iPhone. This removes the account from your phone but doesn’t delete your actual Gmail account online.

Now open Gmail app directly. It will ask you to sign in. Enter your Gmail address and password. Follow the prompts to complete the setup.

After signing in, wait 5 minutes for the app to sync all your emails. This is important. Don’t force close the app during this time.

What this does: Re-adding the account creates a fresh connection between your iPhone and Gmail servers. Corrupted connections that cause syncing problems get cleared.

Important: This removes all Gmail data from your iPhone temporarily while syncing happens. You won’t lose anything because it’s stored on Gmail servers. Everything comes back after syncing completes.

Solution 6: Clear the Gmail App Cache

The cache stores temporary files that help the app load faster. When the cache gets corrupted, syncing breaks.

Unfortunately, iPhone doesn’t let you clear individual app caches easily like Android does. Instead, you must delete and reinstall the entire app.

Open the App Store. Search for Gmail. If you see the Gmail app, tap and hold it. Select Remove App. Choose Delete.

Wait 30 seconds. Open App Store again. Search Gmail. Download the official Gmail app from Google. Wait for installation to finish.

Open Gmail and sign in. Wait 10 minutes for syncing to complete.

This completely removes all cached data and forces a fresh start.

Solution 7: Update iOS to the Latest Version

An outdated operating system can cause app compatibility problems that break syncing.

Open Settings on your iPhone. Scroll to General. Tap Software Update. If an update is available, tap Download and Install.

Your phone will restart during this process. Let it finish without interrupting.

After your iPhone restarts, open Gmail and test if syncing works.

Why this helps: iOS updates patch security vulnerabilities and fix bugs that affect how apps work. Gmail is optimized for the latest iOS versions.

Summary of All 7 Solutions

Solution	Time Required	Success Rate	When to Try It
Force refresh Gmail	30 seconds	30%	First, always
Check internet connection	2 minutes	25%	If refresh doesn’t work
Enable background app refresh	2 minutes	20%	If internet is fine
Update Gmail app	5 minutes	40%	If app is outdated
Remove and re-add account	10 minutes	60%	If single solutions fail
Clear app cache	10 minutes	35%	If cache is corrupted
Update iOS	15 minutes	15%	Last resort fix

Most people solve this problem with solutions 1 through 4. If those don’t work, solution 5 (removing and re-adding your account) fixes the issue in about 6 out of 10 cases.

What to Do If Nothing Works

If you’ve tried all seven solutions and Gmail still won’t sync, the problem might be with your account itself.

Visit the Google Account Security page. Check if Google flagged your account for suspicious activity. If it did, follow Google’s instructions to verify your identity.

If that’s not the issue, try accessing Gmail through Safari browser instead of the app. This tells you if the problem is account-specific or app-specific.

If Gmail works in Safari but not the app, reinstall the app one more time. If Gmail doesn’t work in Safari either, contact Google Support directly because this indicates a server-side problem.

Prevention: Keep Gmail Syncing Smoothly

Once you fix the problem, prevent it from happening again with these habits:

Keep your iPhone updated. Update iOS when prompted. Don’t wait months.

Update Gmail regularly. Check the App Store weekly for app updates.

Use strong WiFi. Sit closer to your router when using WiFi. Weak WiFi causes random syncing failures.

Manage your inbox size. Keep fewer than 50,000 emails total. Massive inboxes slow down syncing.

Don’t use multiple email apps. Using Gmail app and Mail app together sometimes causes conflicts. Pick one.

Restart your phone weekly. A weekly restart clears memory and prevents background issues.

Check your storage. If your iPhone is almost full, apps struggle to sync. Keep at least 1GB free.

Common Questions About Gmail Syncing Issues

Why does my Gmail show old emails even after adding new ones?

This usually means the app cache is corrupted or your internet connection is unstable. Force refresh the app first. If that doesn’t work, try solution 5 (remove and re-add your account). If Gmail works correctly in Safari but not the app, the app cache is definitely the problem and needs clearing through reinstallation.

Will removing my Gmail account delete my emails?

No. Your emails stay on Gmail servers forever. Removing the account from your iPhone only removes it from that device. When you re-add it, all emails come back immediately after syncing completes. This never deletes anything.

How long should Gmail take to sync all my emails?

If you have fewer than 10,000 emails, syncing should complete within 5 minutes. Larger accounts take longer. Give it at least 10 minutes after first setup before assuming something is wrong. Keep your phone connected to WiFi during this time.

Can background app refresh cause battery drain?

Enabling background app refresh for Gmail uses minimal battery, usually less than 1% per day. The benefit of automatic syncing outweighs this tiny battery impact. If battery life is critical, you can turn it off, but then you must manually refresh Gmail to see new emails.

Should I use Gmail app or Mail app?

Use the official Gmail app from Google. It syncs more reliably than the built-in Mail app because it’s optimized for Gmail specifically. The Mail app works but sometimes misses new emails or delays notifications.

Final Thoughts

Gmail syncing problems feel frustrating because you expect your email to work automatically. The good news is that these problems have straightforward fixes.

Start with force refresh and your internet connection. Move to the other solutions one at a time. Nine out of ten times, one of these seven solutions works.

If you’re still stuck after trying everything, the issue is likely account-specific and requires Google Support’s help. But honestly, that’s rare.

Most of you will fix this today and forget about it. Just remember to keep your apps and iOS updated, and this problem probably won’t return.