Syncing iphone notes app and mail app using gmail

Here are the detailed instructions on syncing iphone notes app and mail app using gmail . This will enable bi-directional syncing: you can edit the notes on any device and it will be synced to the others automatically =)

After doing this you will have all your notes on your iphone (or your ipod touch, or ipad) and your mail.app on your mac

  • on your iphone, or ipod touch, or ipad goto settings > mail > add
  • hit google
  • under email and username, put in your gmail address
  • hit the next button at the top
  • turn on notes
  • hit done

You will now be syncing your notes to gmail on your iphone / ipod touch / ipad –

What to do after syncing iphone ipad and ipod touch notes.app and mail.app using gmail

Please see this post to find out how to set up your macs mail.app to use gmail to sync notes

please see this post for details on how to get your google calendar synced to your ical on your mac

and this post on how to sync your addressbook with your google contacts

If you have done all this then you will have the same list of contacts on your mac, on your iphone, and on your google contacts. You will also have the same calendars. and the same notes! any change, or addition you make on any device will show up in all the others

This Post Has 15 Comments

  1. Steve

    Does this still work? I followed the directions but never saw the option to turn on Notes synching. I just salw Mail, Contacts, and Calendar.

    1. jonathan

      yeah, it works, you need ios 4.2.1 though =)

  2. manfred

    I have 4.2.1 but it does not work. I saw the same than steve.

  3. jonathan

    i think it might only appear after you have set up your account; you need to make sure you use a google type account, and not an exchange account

  4. manfred

    i use a google type account but i now assume i misunderstood this function. i thought it is real synchronizing meaning it works in two ways. but it only puts the notes from the ipod to the computer. there you do not have any chance to add or change the notes. right?

  5. jonathan

    you can edit the notes in mail.app on your mac; the changes are then synced back to your iphone / ipod / ipad!

    i use this technique on my ipad, on my iphone and on my macbook pro!
    all notes are available on them all =)

  6. manfred

    Sounds good. Unfortunately I’ve to live without a Mac and in a windows environment it seems not to be possible. :-(

  7. jonny

    FYI

    “Note: Over-the-air Notes syncing is not supported on iPhone 3G or iPod touch (2nd generation). You can sync notes over a USB connection using iTunes.” http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4191

    1. jonathan

      good to know =)

      it works on iphone 3gs and iphone 4
      it also works on ipad =)

  8. Phil

    only seems to work one way, updates to ipad show up in gamil notes but not the other way. How do I make it synch both ways?

    1. jonathan

      to change them the other way round you need to search your gmail for the label ‘notes’ if you reply to these with your new note then it will update the notes on your ios device =)

  9. Phil

    when i go to notes in gmail and reply, the replies show up in my ipad mailbox, not as updated notes

  10. Guihammes

    apple just backup the notes under a gmail tag (notes). would be better if they use google notebook or docs for this.

  11. Guihammes

    apple just backup the notes under a gmail tag (notes). would be better if they use google notebook or docs for this.

  12. Guihammes

    apple just backup the notes under a gmail tag (notes). would be better if they use google notebook or docs for this.

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