Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

GLS

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 26, 2010
561
600
After upgrading my iPad today to 4.2.1 (full restore, then start from scratch) I was setting up my 5 email accounts. Something that has perplexed me, but I really have never searched for a possible solution (until now, because I just didn't think about it) was the order the accounts appear in both the settings-mail,contacts and calendars AND under mailboxes in the mail app.

The accounts are not alphabetized. I've tried deleting and recreating them in order of alphabetization, etc. The only thing that is constant is my Mobileme account is the top one (no matter what, and I have a pretty good idea why this is so.) The remaining 4 accounts are all Google based, both Google Apps and regular Gmail accounts.

So....is this one of the quirks of iOS that I will endure, or is there a method of rearranging the accounts to my liking...
 

saberahul

macrumors 68040
Nov 6, 2008
3,645
111
USA
After upgrading my iPad today to 4.2.1 (full restore, then start from scratch) I was setting up my 5 email accounts. Something that has perplexed me, but I really have never searched for a possible solution (until now, because I just didn't think about it) was the order the accounts appear in both the settings-mail,contacts and calendars AND under mailboxes in the mail app.

The accounts are not alphabetized. I've tried deleting and recreating them in order of alphabetization, etc. The only thing that is constant is my Mobileme account is the top one (no matter what, and I have a pretty good idea why this is so.) The remaining 4 accounts are all Google based, both Google Apps and regular Gmail accounts.

So....is this one of the quirks of iOS that I will endure, or is there a method of rearranging the accounts to my liking...

Accounts are arranged according to FCFS basis. Mobile Me will always display on top - after that its based on your order. So if you set up AOL, then Gmail, then Yahoo, then MobileMe - your list will show:
MobileMe
AOL
GMAIL
YAHOO

-- at least that is how it has been and still is on my iPad - and I've tried every combo possible.
 

Jakeblu

macrumors regular
Feb 20, 2008
162
1
UK
........ The only thing that is constant is my Mobileme account is the top one (no matter what, and I have a pretty good idea why this is so.) The remaining 4 accounts are all Google based, both Google Apps and regular Gmail accounts.

Not on my iPad. My domain name email (Google Apps based) is top of the pile with my MobileMe account below that
 

colmaclean

macrumors 68000
Jan 6, 2004
1,702
348
Berlin
The accounts are shown in the order they were set up, so your first account is at the top etc.

It's very annoying you can't change the order!

Especially when my MobileMe got fudged and I had to delete and recreate it. It then appeared at the bottom of my list, so I had to delete and recreate all the other accounts to return to my original layout. :mad:
 

HelveticaNeue

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2010
641
44
In the Mail app my accounts are: Work Domain, Personal Domain, MobileMe. In 3.2, the list is Settings was identical, but after upgrading to 4.2 the list in Settings changed to: MobileMe, Work, Personal. My guess is that MobileMe is now always on top in Settings but should appear in Mail in the order the accounts were created.

The OP said they tried setting them up in the order they wanted, but that it didn't work. I don't set my accounts up on the iPad itself, so I have no knowledge of this issue. I know there is a procedure to getting the accounts in order through syncing:

1) Go to your iPad in iTunes. Click the Info tab. Scroll down to Mail accounts. Uncheck all accounts except the one you want to appear first in the list. Sync.
2)Check the second account you want listed. Sync.
3)Repeat step 2 for all accounts. MobileMe will likely still appear on top in Settings, but in its rightful place in Mail
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.