Hotmail for Android - Finally a Good Way

[jntdroid]

For the few of you who still use Hotmail as your main email (don't make fun of us!), and are running Froyo, Microsoft has activated Exchange ActiveSync for Hotmail starting today. Now we can actually have a synced up version of Hotmail on our phones, as opposed to the basic POP3 access we had before. It also syncs up your Windows Live Contacts and Calendar with the phone.

Here's the article: Hotmail now supports push email, calendar, and contacts with Exchange ActiveSync


The setup instructions on their website don't match, exactly, what we see in the default email application, so this is how it should look for setup:

• First, you put in your email address and password, then you hit "manual setup" (not "next"), then choose "Exchange". From there, you'll see the following...
• Domain\Username: Clear out and put in your full hotmail address
• Password: if not pre-filled, obviously put in your hotmail password
• Server: m.hotmail.com
• Check "Use Secure Connection (SSL)"
• Not sure yet on "accept all SSL certificates" - I've had it unchecked with no issues so far

*edit: For Droid 2 users, you have to add a "Corporate Sync" account, then do the settings above


Evidently, this won't work in Android 2.1. From their support forum regarding Android:
Android Support: Hotmail team will add Android to list of supported devices in the coming months after testing is completed.

• Access from Android 2.1 is NOT supported due to known client issues on Android 2.1.
• There are users successfully syncing from Hotmail via the default application or the Touchdown application on Android 2.2. (it's been working great for me so far)

Once you're setup, you can customize the settings as you see fit. So far, it's working great for me, and doesn't seem to be adding any battery drain (as we have occasionally seen on handsets using push). Hopefully this will come in handy for the other two of you out there still using Hotmail.

Update 1:
I've noticed three small issues that are worth mentioning (especially if you're used to the gmail app), but not a huge deal... (at least to me )
1) It appears it does text only, no pictures. Maybe that's an issue with the stock email app? Don't know myself, as I've never used the stock email app, but I'm assuming it's Hotmail.
2) There doesn't appear to be a way to move messages into other folders from their current location.
3) As Dragoro pointed out, it only syncs back one month. This is not a big deal for me personally, but could very easily be for others.
* Sidenote - the mobile Hotmail website was revamped awhile back (wave 4) and has most (if not all) of the functionality of the actual website... just something to note for those that haven't checked it out in awhile.

 

[Dragoro]

Wow this works!! Thanks!

 

[jntdroid]

Wow this works!! Thanks!

there's one, now where's the other hotmail user?

 

[DF Smod]

I am going to check this out, my wife will like this news also...that makes four

 

[r314bd]

Works perfectly. Thanks!

 

[Dragoro]

Just wish it would sync back further than a month.

 

[FrostMan]

Works great. Thank you, Sir.

 

[IAmTheHuff]

Thanks not my primary account but still have a lot of mail that comes in to hotmail. So far this is working very well.

 

[jntdroid]

Just wish it would sync back further than a month.

updated OP with that, as well as a couple of other notes

 

[markwebb]

Just wish it would sync back further than a month.

Likewise, everything seemed to work in setup but all of my folders are empty.

HMMMM...I should have some emails in my folders.

 

[jntdroid]

Just wish it would sync back further than a month.

Likewise, everything seemed to work in setup but all of my folders are empty.

HMMMM...I should have some emails in my folders.

That happened to me once after I initially set everything up... then it FC'd on me, I reopened it, and it's been working flawlessly since then.

 

[velocity92c]

Why in the world would anyone still use hotmail when you have to have a gmail account to use our phones anyway? Gmail is superior in every POSSIBLE way to hotmail, and if it's your address you're worried about, a set of simple rules in gmail/hotmail would allow you to use gmail and still send/receive with your hotmail address. Then you could just use the gmail app as well. No offense to any of you guys, but I just can't fathom using hotmail when gmail is available to you. It'd be like choosing to run the iPhone OS on an Android phone.

 

[SamTHorn]

For the few of you who still use Hotmail as your main email (don't make fun of us!), and are running Froyo, Microsoft has activated Exchange ActiveSync for Hotmail starting today. Now we can actually have a synced up version of Hotmail on our phones, as opposed to the basic POP3 access we had before. It also syncs up your Windows Live Contacts and Calendar with the phone.

Here's the article: Hotmail now supports push email, calendar, and contacts with Exchange ActiveSync


The setup instructions on their website don't match, exactly, what we see in the default email application, so this is how it should look for setup:

• First, you put in your email address and password, then you hit "manual setup" (not "next"), then choose "Exchange". From there, you'll see the following...
• Domain\Username: Clear out and put in your full hotmail address
• Password: if not pre-filled, obviously put in your hotmail password
• Server: m.hotmail.com
• Check "Use Secure Connection (SSL)"
• Not sure yet on "accept all SSL certificates" - I've had it unchecked with no issues so far

Evidently, this won't work in Android 2.1. From their support forum regarding Android:


Android Support: Hotmail team will add Android to list of supported devices in the coming months after testing is completed.

• Access from Android 2.1 is NOT supported due to known client issues on Android 2.1.
• There are users successfully syncing from Hotmail via the default application or the Touchdown application on Android 2.2. (it's been working great for me so far)

Once you're setup, you can customize the settings as you see fit. So far, it's working great for me, and doesn't seem to be adding any battery drain (as we have occasionally seen on handsets using push). Hopefully this will come in handy for the other two of you out there still using Hotmail.

Update 1:
I've noticed three small issues that are worth mentioning (especially if you're used to the gmail app), but not a huge deal... (at least to me )
1) It appears it does text only, no pictures. Maybe that's an issue with the stock email app? Don't know myself, as I've never used the stock email app, but I'm assuming it's Hotmail.
2) There doesn't appear to be a way to move messages into other folders from their current location.
3) As Dragoro pointed out, it only syncs back one month. This is not a big deal for me personally, but could very easily be for others.
* Sidenote - the mobile Hotmail website was revamped awhile back (wave 4) and has most (if not all) of the functionality of the actual website... just something to note for those that haven't checked it out in awhile.

Thanks a bunch. It works now.

Cheers.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[jntdroid]

Why in the world would anyone still use hotmail when you have to have a gmail account to use our phones anyway? Gmail is superior in every POSSIBLE way to hotmail, and if it's your address you're worried about, a set of simple rules in gmail/hotmail would allow you to use gmail and still send/receive with your hotmail address. Then you could just use the gmail app as well. No offense to any of you guys, but I just can't fathom using hotmail when gmail is available to you. It'd be like choosing to run the iPhone OS on an Android phone.

The latest version of Hotmail is quite comparable to Gmail, and I would venture to say better in some regards. Still lacking in others, but quite nice. The gap between the two is not what it used to be - they're both very solid formats with helpful features and functions.

 

[r314bd]

The latest version of Hotmail is quite comparable to Gmail, and I would venture to say better in some regards. Still lacking in others, but quite nice. The gap between the two is not what it used to be - they're both very solid formats with helpful features and functions.

^^^this

I actually just a few days ago started forwarding my Hotmail into Gmail so I could use the Gmail app, but because of this new Exchange support I switched back to using the Email app. I really see no significant difference but because I've used Hotmail for so long I'm just used to it I guess.