Fix: Sync Is Currently Experiencing Problems

Available in over 100 languages, Gmail is arguably the best free email client currently on the market. There’s no question that Google’s reach contributed greatly to its success, but let’s not forget the impressive list of features that keep Gmail clients happy. Mainly, the seamless integration between a whole plethora of devices, from desktop to mobile.

But no software is error-free, and Gmail is certainly no exception to that rule. Sure, it’s much more secure and less buggy than other competing services (Yes, I’m looking at you, Yahoo Mail). But one error that Google has failed to fix for several years now is syncing. To be precise, the error that says “sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly”.

This error seems to be exclusive to the Android realm. From time to time, the Gmail service on Android smartphones and tablets refuses to sync up. In some cases, the issue lies within Google’s servers and it will resolve itself after some time. But those cases are extremely rare, as Google’s servers are quite stable. Even worse, it’s not only affecting the Gmail app. When syncing stops working, the calendar, contacts and anything else that is linked to your Google account won’t sync up as a result.

If you’ve waited some time and you are experiencing the same problem with Google syncing, there are a few fixes you can try.

Note: These fixes were tested on Android 7.0 Nougat, but chances are they can be applicable to older versions of Android. Also, some settings might differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Method 1: Performing a Manual Sync

This fix is very easy to perform and has a high success rate. The only downside is a lot of times it proves to be temporary. What I mean is, it will bring all your stuff linked to your Google account up to date, but it won’t make it perform this automatically in the future. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings, scroll down and tap on Accounts.
   
2. Find and tap on the Google entry.
   
3. Make sure all entries are enabled and hit Sync now. Depending on your phone’s manufacturer, the Sync Now button may be located on the bottom side of the screen or in the top right corner.

Note: If you have multiple accounts, repeat these steps with all of them.

Method 2: Clearing Gmail Data and Cache

If you’ve followed the method above to no avail, clearing the data and cached data from your Google apps might resume the normal functionality of syncing. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings and tap on Apps.
   
2. Make sure the All apps selection is applied and scroll down until you find the Gmail entry.
   
3. Tap on Gmail and tap again on Storage.
   
4. Start by tapping on Clear data, wait for the process to complete, then tap on Clear cache.
   
   
5. If your syncing problems are not restricted to Gmail, repeat these steps with the other Google apps like Calendar or Newsstand.

Method 3: Checking for updates

Some custom Android versions are proven to have syncing problems with Gmail. The vast majority of them have been fixed by updates along the way, so it’s worth a show to update to the latest Android version available for your model if you haven’t already done so. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Settings and scroll all the way down to Software Updates.
   Note: On some Android devices System update can be found inside the About or About Device tab.
2. Tap on Check for Updates and wait to see if a new update is available.
   
3. If a new update is available, tap on Install and wait for the system to reboot.
4. Check to see if Gmail is syncing normally.

Method 4: Enabling automatic date and time

In most cases, Google syncing is hindered because automatic date and time are disabled. If you manually inserted your date, time and time zone, that’s probably where the issue originated from. Here’s how to re-enable automatic date and time:

1. Go to Settings and look for the entry named Date and Time. It’s usually located under the System tab.
   Note: If you can’t find it, look inside the Advanced Settings entry.
2. Expand the Date and Time entry and enable Automatic date & time and Automatic time zone.
   
3. Repeat method one in which you perform manual sync and keep an eye if Google keeps syncing after that.

Method 5: Disable power-saving mode

If you’re one of those people that like to keep their phone on power saving mode all the time to save battery life, there’s your problem.

Depending on how aggressive the power saving app is, it might cut off Google syncing completely. You can easily check if that’s the case by disabling power saving mode for a day or two and see if Google starts syncing your contacts properly.

Method 6: Removing and re-adding your Google account

Some users have reported that deleting their Google account and restarting their device managed to fix their issue. Give it a try :

1. Go to Settings > Accounts and tap on the Google entry.
   
2. Tap the remove icon and confirm your selection.
   
3. Restart your device, go back to Settings > Accounts and tap the “+” icon.
4. Insert your Gmail account along with your password and wait to see if Google starts syncing your accounts.

Method 7: Installing Contacts Sync App

If you’re having issues with your phone contacts syncing up with Google, there’s a nifty app capable of solving the problem automatically. It’s extremely easy to use. Here’s how:

1. Download Contacts Sync Fix from Google Play Store.
   
2. Hit the “Fix Contacts Sync” button.
   
3. The app will perform a check to see if any of your contacts are corrupted and are disrupting the syncing process. If it finds any, you will be prompted to delete them. Confirm and check to see if the contacts are syncing properly.

Method 8: Enabling all certificates from Incoming Settings

If you use a rooted device and you have syncing problems, try the following fix:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Exchange > Incoming Settings.
2. Change the security type from SSL/TLS to accept all certificates.
3. Wait and see if your emails, contacts, and calendar entries start syncing up.

We hope one of the following guides helped you solve “sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly” error. If you found a different solution that helped you, please tell us all about it in the comment section below and we will add it to this guide.