"Push Messages"?

[NotYingYang]

I have an option to "push messages" on my HTC Desire. What does "push messages" mean?

 

[sitlet]

Where is this option? email or text messages?

 

[NotYingYang]

I found this option to "push messages" in my text messages. There is an option for this for email, too? What does it mean and how does the option differ in email and text messages?

 

[sitlet]

Well, text messages should always be pushed.

For email, there is two ways to get email on your phone, push or pull. If you use the Gmail app with a gmail account, it is push. That means when an email gets to your gmail server, the server pushes the email to your phone immediately.

Other email types, like a yahoo account, must be pulled. That means the phone logs into your email account at a predetermined time (can be every 5 minutes to once a day) and checks for new emails. Obviously, pulling emails uses WAY more battery, because it is constantly using the internet to check for new emails, where push email uses literally no battery.

 

[NotYingYang]

Well, text messages should always be pushed.

For email, there is two ways to get email on your phone, push or pull. If you use the Gmail app with a gmail account, it is push. That means when an email gets to your gmail server, the server pushes the email to your phone immediately.

Other email types, like a yahoo account, must be pulled. That means the phone logs into your email account at a predetermined time (can be every 5 minutes to once a day) and checks for new emails. Obviously, pulling emails uses WAY more battery, because it is constantly using the internet to check for new emails, where push email uses literally no battery.

Awesome, thanks for your response! Now why should text messages always be pushed?

 

[NotYingYang]

Oh, and do you know how to push messages for Yahoo like gmail does?

 

[patpending]

"Push Messages" can also related to 'Emergency Broadcasts' that governments put out.

For example, here in Australia, 'Push Messages' related to being able to received warning messages on a 'broadcast' system, for example "Floods getting worse around areas x, y and z" or "Bushfire Rating Extreme in your area."

Test messages will still come through regardless of whether this option is enabled or disable.

 

[Deleted User]

False, those are cell broadcasts and you can turn them off.

 

[heat57]

Oh, and do you know how to push messages for Yahoo like gmail does?

YES! Simply go to your gmail online account and sing in. Then go to settings > 'Accounts and Import > 'Import mail and contacts' - this even has a help section if needed. Follow the setup steps and enter the relevant info for your Yahoo account. When done gmail will poll your account periodically throughout the day and push any new mail found on the Yahoo server via your gmail account to all devices you have set up with your gmail. You can also set whether your replies will be sent from your gmail account or from the account (Yahoo) the message originated from. You'll never miss any mail again and it even shows as ,a seperate mailbox folder entry in gmail on your phone, so you know if new mail is from your Yahoo account.

 

[matttye]

Obviously, pulling emails uses WAY more battery, because it is constantly using the internet to check for new emails, where push email uses literally no battery.

Push email uses battery too.. your phone has to listen for connections from the gmail server which still uses battery. Receiving the emails themselves also uses battery. Most people report that push email uses more battery than a sensible polling time with a pull email client.

E.g. an email client that pulls email every 2 hours would be better than a push email client, but an email client that pulls email every 15 minutes would be worse.

 

[SUroot]

Push email uses battery too.. your phone has to listen for connections from the gmail server which still uses battery. Receiving the emails themselves also uses battery. Most people report that push email uses more battery than a sensible polling time with a pull email client.

E.g. an email client that pulls email every 2 hours would be better than a push email client, but an email client that pulls email every 15 minutes would be worse.

On a GB rom, you will see when you are connected to google services, your icons go green. This is all that is required to receive push notifications.

You will notice that you are almost always connected to google services.

If you delete or remove the gmail app, because for example you use Yahoo instead in the android / htc email client, you will see this connection is still present, creating a baseline power consumption for minimum connectivity/

So although yes, maintaining a connection to google services does indeed use a modicum of power, on our devices you will find that this drain will be present whether you use push or not (baseline of power), ergo adding a Pull service will increase drain ontop of this baseline. So if you have the choice, Push will be better on our devices as it uses no additional power ontop of the baseline, where as pull will indeed add to it.