How To Configure IMAP and Sync iPhone Notes To Your Email

One thing I like most about my iPhone is that I can take notes wherever I go. As a writer, it is very important for me to take notes from time to time as ideas don”t come easy. However, prior to the release of iOS 4.0, it was very inconvenient for me to retrieve my notes from my iPhone as I had to sync it using iTunes every time I want to transfer them to my computer.

Fortunately, iOS 4.0 and later releases opened the possibility to sync my notes to my email without the need to connect my iPhone to my computer with a USB cable.

This guide will walk you through in configuring IMAP and syncing your notes to your email account, in this case I will use Gmail.

First Things First

1. You”ve got to have your Gmail account before you can start doing this tutorial.

2. Your iPhone (iPod or iPad) should be running iOS 4.0 or later releases to be able to perform this guide perfectly.

How To Configure IMAP

Before you can actually sync your iPhone notes to your email, you will need to configure IMAP as it is needed.

Here are a few steps on how to configure IMAP on your iPhone.

Step 1: Enable IMAP in your Gmail account. Log into your Google email, then click on the “Settings” link located on top-right corner.

Step 2: Click on “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab. From there, you will be able to find the option to “Enable IMAP“. Don”t forget to click on “Save Changes” button for the new settings to take effect.

Step 3: Launch the “Settings” app in your iPhone, tap “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” then “Add Account“. Now, instead of tapping on “Gmail” choose “Other” below the screen.

Step 4: Tap on “Add Mail Account” to continue.

Step 5: Now you have to enter your name, email address, the password to your email, and if want you can add a description. Tap on the “Save” button on top-right corner when finish.

Step 6: You will now be asked to enter the Incoming Mail Server settings. For the Host Name, enter imap.gmail.com, the User Name is your Gmail account with @gmail.com, and the Password will be the one you are using to log into your Gmail account.

Step 7: You also have to enter the Outgoing Mail Server settings. The Host Name will smtp.gmail.com, and the rest are the same as with the Incoming Mail Server settings.

Step 8: If everything is done, tap on “Save” button. That’s just it.

How to Sync Notes With Your Email Account

The procedure above is very simple and straightforward. Once you”ve done it successfully, you are ready to syncing your notes from your iPhone to your email account.

Step 1: Launch “Settings” and tap “Mail, Contacts, Calendars“. You have to select the IMAP account you just created.

Step 2: After which, simply turn “Notes” on.

When “Notes” is turned on, it will automatically sync the notes you”ve made with your IMAP account. Furthermore, it will create a label “Notes” in your Gmail inbox labeling all of the notes synced into this category.

Alright, let’s try it out.

When you have properly configured the IMAP account and turned on the “Notes” option, you will see a new “Accounts” button in the navigation bar when you launch the Notes app. The navigation bar will look like this;

Just tap on the “Accounts” button and you will be able to see an account synced or connected with the Notes app. In this example, you can find my own account. You can tap on the account and start creating note.

All the notes you have created under your IMAP account will automatically be synced to your email account, in this case its Gmail.

That’s it. It works perfectly for me. I hope this tutorial can help you too.