SPRINT SERO

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Contents 1 Sprint SERO Plan 1.1 Introduction 1.2 What is SERO? 1.3 What is included with the SERO plan? 1.4 How much longer will SERO be available? 1.5 How do I sign up for SERO? 1.5.1 A: If you are a New Customer or an existing Sprint customer who is out of contract: 1.5.2 B: If you are a current Nextel subscriber (even if under contract): 1.6 Do I have to sign a contract to get on a SERO plan? 1.7 If I am already a Sprint customer, can I convert it to a SERO plan and keep my number? 1.8 What rebates are available? Will I be able to get all of them 1.9 Sell your old phone back to Sprint 1.10 What if my rebate gets denied? 1.11 I hate my phone and or SERO. How long do I have to cancel or return my phone? 1.12 What perks are available? 1.13 Why is there a charge on my account when they said it would be free? 1.14 Credit Union Discounts 1.15 What about Corporate Discounts? 1.16 What is the $25 referral debit card I keep hearing about? 1.17 Can I price match my SERO phone with a price I found at other stores? 1.18 Can I use my phone to tether? 1.19 Why is my picture mail not working? 1.20 Can I watch TV on my phone? 1.21 Are there any other discounts available? 1.22 How do I port my number? 1.23 I want a phone not offered on the SERO site, but Sprint has it, what to do? 1.24 Help! It says SERO is not available in my area, Now what do I do? 1.25 What about insurance for the phone? 1.26 Why is my bill more than $30? How much are taxes? 1.27 How do I contact Sprint? 1.28 I have had several perks added. Where can I see them on my account? 1.29 I have more questions that are not outlined in this FAQ. Is it possible they have been addressed somewhere else? 1.30 Expired Offers 1.31 Checking your Sprint Referral Card? 1.32 How to track your order? 1.33 How do I confirm that you are on the SERO plan? 2 Other tips not necessarily SERO Related 2.1 I Heard Sprint just released a new email client. How do I get it? 2.2 Top 30 Tips/Uses for your Sprint phone 2.3 Setting up your Gmail on your smartphone 3 Contributors 4 Outside Links

Sprint SERO Plan

Sprint offers a few special heavily discounted plans. See here. These are the Employee Discount Rate Plan (EDRP), the Wireless Advantage Club, and SERO (Sprint Employee Referral Offer). This FAQ outlines the SERO plan. This plan is basically offered by an employee of Sprint or one of the Sprint strategic partners. The following FAQ outlines what it is, whats included, and how to get it.

Introduction

The following FAQ is provided for members in knowing all there is to know about the SERO (Sprint Employee Referral Offer) Program/Plan. Please read this FAQ thoroughly before posting any questions in any of the forums mentioned throughout this FAQ referring to SERO. The Staff of these forums can and will remove or ignore any additional posts that have already been outlined and explained within this FAQ as well as to any outside referenced links. These FAQs have been compiled from numerous sources. See [Contributors]

What is SERO?

SERO is a heavily discounted plan for friends and family of Sprint employees. There are currently 3 different plans available: NOTE: (Individual plans only), There are no family plans on SERO!!!!! That means minutes cannot be shared)!!

1. Sprint Employee Referral Offer 500 (minutes) for $30.00 per month
2. Sprint Employee Referral Offer 1250 (minutes) for $49.99 per month
3. Sprint Employee Referral Offer unlimited minutes for $99.99 per month

It will show up on your bill as a Fair and Flexible plan, and not as a SERO plan. For a view of what it would look like on your bill see section: 1:33

SERO at a glance explained HERE. (ty madlife)

All plans above require a two year subscriber agreement.

What is included with the SERO plan?

1. Unlimited Sprint Vision or Power Vision (Vision for Vision phones, Power Vision for Power Vision phones)
2. Unlimited Mobile to Mobile (In network only, Sprint to Sprint, Sprint to Nextel, Nextel to Sprint, Nextel to Nextel)
3. Unlimited Sprint Picture Mail
4. Unlimited Roaming
5. Unlimited Nights & Weekends (either 6 or 7 PM, depending on when you started contract)
6. Nationwide Long Distance
7. Crystal Clear Calls
8. Voice Mail
9. Caller ID
10. Call Waiting
11. Numeric Paging
12. Three-Way Calling
13. Ready Link
14. Unlimited SMS (Limited Time Offer: Offer ends 5/31/2008, although word is it may be extended.)

Note: From now until 7/13/2008 get unlimited free text messages for the length of your contract! You need to either call (1-866-881-9571) (or retentions) to have this added on, or request it through ecare. This is good for new and old subcribers!! (code sero#serosms TY lzyDrgnZ, TY Ash)

SERO at a glance HERE (ty madlife)

How much longer will SERO be available?

For now, new subscriptions for SERO are set to expire May 31, 2008 (although it likely will be extended).

The web site currently says that the offer is good until June 14, 2008.

Update: (June 16, 2008 3:13 AM MST): Website now says that the offer is good until July 12, 2008.

The website doesn't say, but it was updated today (6/13) with unlimited texting for free until 7/13. That is unlimited texting as long as you have your plan, not only for a month.

How do I sign up for SERO?

SERO is mainly for new customers only. However, existing Sprint customers who are out of contract and renewing a two-year subscriber agreement are also eligible for this offer. (See part A). The program is also available for current Nextel subscribers (see part B).

A: If you are a New Customer or an existing Sprint customer who is out of contract:

There are three ways of doing this:

1. The easiest way is to do it directly through the SERO website. Go to www.sprint.com/sero and use the following e\-mail address : savings@sprintemi.com (TY Johhny G). If this doesn't work for you, just Google for an email address of a Sprint employee (Google @mail.sprint.com or @sprint.com.) Over at BuzzAboutWireless the sprint employee that gave permission to use their email, is officially maxed out. (TY Ajskhan) A list of other emails HERE.
2. You can also sign up for a regular plan in any Sprint store, and hope that a retention specialist is willing to convert it to a SERO plan for you. This is definitely the harder way of doing it, and takes persistence on your part to be able to pull it off. To talk to an retention specialist, call Sprint (800-974-2221) and ask for retentions. Another # is: 866-250-2221. DO NOT DO THIS AFTER BUYING A PHONE FROM BB (BestBuy), Amazon, CUSA, etc or you will get hit with a collections bill for the full price of the phone!
3. For those of you who already are on Sprint: you can email Sprint eCare at ecare1@cc.sprintpcs.com and tell them you wanted to switch to SERO in store but they couldn't do in store and advised you to contact eCare with this code "#C SEROF&FEVDO$30.00". YMMV on this one (least effective way of trying to switch).

Note: When you order a BlackBerry, you do have an additional monthly BB charge (up to $40 monthly)!!

B: If you are a current Nextel subscriber (even if under contract):

Do the following steps: (TY GitterDone)

1. First, go ahead and order a new SERO account with a new number by calling the number on the SERO page. Do NOT tell them you will be porting a number at this point
2. Next, call Sprint (866-853-4491 number w/out a wait) and tell them you are bringing your number from Nextel, and they will ask for your new Sprint number and the Nextel number you are porting. Verify the account information and they will request the number from Nextel.
3. It's that easy. In about 2 hours the switch will be activated and you will incur NO ETF from Nextel and the account will simply be closed from Nextel.

Do I have to sign a contract to get on a SERO plan?

Yes, you have to sign a 2-year contract. There is no way around that.

If I am already a Sprint customer, can I convert it to a SERO plan and keep my number?

Here is what Sprint has to say about that:

The Sprint Employee Referral Offer is for new customers only. However, existing Sprint customers who are out of contract and renewing a Two-year Subscriber Agreement are also eligible for this offer. Sprint Employees who are currently employee liable and receive the 23 percent discount are eligible to swap their plan by calling the Employee Accounts Group at (888)-876-8381.

Unfortunately, new Sprint customers are able to port their number from their existing carrier to Sprint when they sign into the plan but existing customers cannot port numbers from an existing Sprint account. Therefore, existing customers still in a subscriber agreement are required to activate a new line of service with a Two-year Agreement and are issued a brand new phone number. Furthermore, an existing customer may cancel the account early but a termination fee is required if the existing account is within the contract period.

An existing customer who has fulfilled the term agreement is treated like a brand new customer and is issued a brand new phone number. Some have had success keeping their phone number by first porting it to a pre-paid phone, and then porting it back to their new SERO phone. Others have had some success with being persistent with customer care.

Another option is transferring the remainder of your contract on a website such as THIS one. More info can be found HERE.

Many people have also been successful in getting their regular Sprint account converted to a SERO account (even while under contract). This takes persistence, and creativity. Remember, Sprint has absolutely nothing to lose by denying you. The trick is to find an excuse that gives Sprint the illusion that by denying you they will be out of something. What that something is, is up to you. Get creative here.

What rebates are available? Will I be able to get all of them

The rebates that are available vary on the phone that you have chosen. Here are some rebates that have been discussed at length in the other threads: New reabte (expires 07/12/2008) HERE

If you are porting your number, use your ported number for rebate purposes.

Check your rebate status HERE. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to what amount you will actually receive. Rebate checks get lumped into one check up to $350 (depending on your phone and the promotion at the time you get your phone). All other rebates (short of the Kellogg one, that one is completely separate) get automatically denied, saying you can only receive one rebate per phone. Packing slips work best to get the maximum amount (try and not send invoice when sending in for rebates). If you exchanged a phone, send the packing slip that came with the new phone instead of the InPhonic/WireFly invoice. Speaking of InPhonic, InPhonics is no longer in charge of new SERO accounts. All new SERO accounts now go directly through Sprint Solutions. This is great news, as it extents your return and cancellation period to 30 days. You can now also exchange your phone directly at any Sprint Corporate store. SERO is NOT set to expire any time soon. Note though that certain promotions are set to expire (such as the unlimited text and the $100 instant discount on the 700WX). Check the SERO page frequently for new promotions. AND YES, ALL ORDERING HAS TO HAPPEN OVER THE PHONE NOW!!! MANY REBATES DO NOT SHOW UP ONLINE FOR ABOUT 5-8 WEEKS!! Please do not ask if 2-3 weeks is long enough to have an updated status online.

REBATES ARE A YMMV!!!! (Your mileage may vary)

Remember, most rebate forms say rebate is available for plans $34.99 and up. This does NOT apply to SERO plans. You are good to go on any of the rebates with any SERO plan (as long as you are a new customer)!!

Sell your old phone back to Sprint

You can also sell your old phone back to Sprint by using the Sprint BuyBack program.

If you are at the end of your contract, you can take a $70 renewal offer that will not effect your phone eligibility. Take this before you order another phone and you can get the $150 off a phone and $70 on the account.

What if my rebate gets denied?

A simple call to the rebate center will take care of this most of the time. Here is how you make your call (thank you b0n3):

1. Dial 1-800-477-4127
2. Wait through ALL of the prompts (including for English ... for Spanish ..Etc. etc.)
3. When asked for number, type 555-555-5555
4. If this is correct, press 1
5. If you have already mailed in your rebate, press 1
6. If it's been longer than 14 days... please press 1

That should have gotten you to a live person.

What if you still do not get it validated? Be pro-active and call again. If you KNOW you have met the requirements for the rebates, follow through and do not take 'no' for an answer. File with the BBB if you have to (I have found Sprint responds to this quickly). For a BBB complaint to be most effective, follow the following steps:

1. Contact sprint rebate directly (number in OP)
2. If CSR won't help you, ask for a supervisor. Make sure you write down his name and employee number
3. If supervisor won't help you, email eCare. Explain the situation. Often they will just credit your account outright. If they won't, write down the name of the person who refused to help
4. Write the BBB and include all names and the dates you talked to the individuals of steps 1-3.

I hate my phone and or SERO. How long do I have to cancel or return my phone?

Sprint customers will be allotted 30 days to return equipment, accessory and software accessory purchases to qualify for a refund as well as 30 days to cancel Sprint service without penalty – waived Sprint Early Termination Fee (ETF) – and qualify for a credit of the activation fee (when applicable). Easiest way is to call Sprint and exchange directly with them. Your new receipt will work perfectly for rebates as well. You will receive a temporary credit until you send the old phone back. If you bought the phone through InPhonics on the old system, do not mention InPhonics. Just say you got it on the internet through Sprint. You can now also exchange directly in any corporate Sprint store.

Steps for exchange:

1. Call retentions
2. Tell them you are not happy with your phone and would like to exchange it (within 30 days)
3. Sprint will CREDIT your account for the phone
4. Sprint overnights (or sometimes ground ships) you your new phone and a return kit (padded UPS envelope, prepaid. Just stick phone in there and drop off at UPS)
5. Sprint receives your old phone back, credit gets removed
6. If Sprint does NOT get your old phone back, the computer automatically gets updated after 30 days with a double charge
7. In the end you pay the difference between the RETAIL price of the two phones (or get a credit)

What perks are available?

Additional discounts such as NVP's (Employer) and Loyalty Discounts ARE NOT ALLOWED or Permitted on SERO (Your already saving a bunch, so quit being GREEDY). Some People have found ways to finagle the NVP or Loyalty discount to their SERO's. THIS IS NOT NORMAL, don't expect it will work for you. It will not work if your account is in Ensemble.

Providing the various codes to recieve addtional perks is beyond the scope of this FAQ.

Why is there a charge on my account when they said it would be free?

Sprint offers certain discounts by giving an off-set credit. As such, they will first charge you for the discount, and then at the bottom of the bill you will see an off-set credit for the same amount (making it free).

Credit Union Discounts

If you are a Credit Union member, go HERE to get 10% off your bill.

What about Corporate Discounts?

Sprint does offer discounts for certain corporations. Technically it is not valid with SERO, but many of us have been able to get it added. Call Sprint to see if your work place has a discount offer, and then get working on having it applied. You can do this by emailing eCare (best way), or calling CS. Again, if at first you get denied, keep trying. Discounts vary depending on your place of employment and can be as low as 5% or as high as 28%. Remember that Sprint may check to see if you work where you say you do, so be careful. To check if your work participates, you can check HERE (though not all qualified employers show up through this link). If a CSR over the phone or a store said they got you the discount, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM until you get an email that states you won't be able to view your account for a while because they had to adjust your billing cycle to match the one of your employer. ONLY an email that states that means you truly did get it. eCare usually sends an email like that out immediately, and will apply the discount immediately. CSRs and stores never do. An email stating that you should see the discount in 30-60 days in all likelihood will mean you did not get it.

Example of script to ask eCare for corporate discount (TY leadbyxampl):

Send an email to eCare (do NOT BCC this!!!) ecare2@cc.sprintpcs.com;

Then put this in the body.

Customer Name: Sprint PCS Phone Number: Account Number:

Ecare,

Please add my corporate discount to my Sprint PCS plan. I work for (Put company name here). My email address is (put email address here). Please let me know if there is additional information that you need.

What is the $25 referral debit card I keep hearing about?

If you just got your new phone, you can dial #REF (#733) and enter the phone number of the person who referred you to the SERO plan. Both you and the person whose phone number you entered will then each get a $25 gift debit card from Sprint. If you need someone's number as a 'referrer', contact any of us here to help you out (to be fair, choose someone who has contributed to the forum. Just IM them, and ask for a referral. DO NOT post a request on the thread). You can get up to $300 in referral gift cards per year. All $25 credits will be added to the same debit card you get once you make your first referral. If you lost it, call 800-424-4357. You have to call within the first 15 days of activation to qualify!!!

You can check your referral status HERE (TY Daisy78).

Can I price match my SERO phone with a price I found at other stores?

This seems incredibly hard to do. Some have succeeded in getting a service credit by being persistent. InPhonics (a division of Wirefly who used to handle all SERO plans) will NOT price match other stores, not even Sprint's advertised prices!! If you absolutely want to get that phone for free at, say BestBuy, or some other store, you could buy it there and hope a CSR will convert your plan to SERO. This is definitely not the easy way of doing things, but some have had success. Be aware though that there is a good chance that you will be haunted by collections if you change your phone and/or plan after buying your phone at BB, CUSA, etc.

Can I use my phone to tether?

PAM is NOT available with SERO (Although some people fly under the Radar with Tethering for free with a Samsung disable DUN). A few phones can indeed tether undetected. Some of the smart phones (like the Palm 700wx/p) can tether after downloading some simple software found HERE. Other phones such as the a900m can do the same with a simple hack. Instructions on how to tether with your PPC6700 are found HERE. A hack for the 700p/755p can be found HERE(advanced user hack!).

Why is my picture mail not working?

Sprint usually neglects to enable Picture Mail (usually $5 per month but included as FREE on a SERO plan) when you sign up for SERO. Simply call CS or e-mail eCare to have this enabled. Sprint will NOT substitute this SERO feature for a different free perk. Not all phones have the capability to do picture mail (the 700wx for example cannot).

Can I watch TV on my phone?

You can stream live TV through ORB HERE. Or, if you have a windows enabled phone (such as the 700wx) you can use slingbox to watch any TV program you can watch at home directly on your phone. Sprint has also some TV programming available for other phones, but this is not free of cost.

Are there any other discounts available?

If you have at least 5 lines, you can qualify for a 5% discount. YMMV. Program Overview: The iDen Equipt for Business Program offers access, activation and data discounts (5%) to accounts with 5 or more active subscribers. Access and Activation discounts are applied via the following SOC Code: BUSEQUPT

How do I port my number?

If you are currently with another subscriber (not Sprint), porting is easy. Once you get your phone dial *2 and ask for "Tier 2 Porting Support". They should be able to port your number immediately. Do NOT cancel your other subscriber's account until your number is ported (also make sure you are out of contract or you will be charged an early termination fee). If you are already with Sprint, it is much harder to port (refer to point "If I already am a Sprint customer"). You can port a number at any time; as long as you have current ownership of the number you want to port.

I want a phone not offered on the SERO site, but Sprint has it, what to do?

On the SERO website, it mentions "Other devices available". When you call just tell them the phone you want. (Providing the phone is in stock.) If the rep states that the phone you want phone is unavailable, then you have two options: A: Thank them for their time and hang up and try again with another representative. Or… B: Choose another phone on the SERO website that is similar in price to the one you want on Sprint's website (retail price). Then, after you receive it, call Sprint and tell them that you are not happy with the reception of the phone you ordered off the website (do not tell them which website or how much you paid), and that you would like to exchange it for a different phone to give Sprint one more chance. If you do not succeed with a regular CSR ask for retentions. You have 30 days to do this. As far as rebates are concerned: send in the rebates for your new phone. You can also exchange in any corporate Sprint store. See also point #9.

Help! It says SERO is not available in my area, Now what do I do?

Unfortunately, SERO is not available in all areas (it appears this has to do with affiliate services. So even if Sprint has good service in your area, it does not mean that SERO is available there). If you are located somewhere where you know Sprint has good service, you can get around this limitation by using a different address. When you do that though, you will be limited to the area code of the address that you select. Some people have successfully asked Sprint for a new phone number in their own area code after receiving the phone, saying they have moved.

Dealseeker (TY) addresses this problem as follows:

Yup, you are in an affiliate area. My guess would be iPCS, but that I'm not sure of. A good way to tell is just go to www.sprint.com Put in your zip code - it is telling you to check out the store for offers Try putting in 55403, you'll see Sprint plans. It is telling you to go to the store since the affiliate plans are different than the standard sprint plans.

Your best bet for getting SERO is to locate an address you can use for sign up in a sprint corporate area....Affiliate determination is tied to the telephone number, not the billing address. So once you sign up, you could switch your billing address to your home address, but your cell number would have to stay in a sprint corporate market....not sure how long distance works in your area, but that may be a solution to your problem.

What about insurance for the phone?

For questions about insurance of your phone, go HERE and HERE.

Why is my bill more than $30? How much are taxes?

Bills are prorated, so your first bill may be a little more than the standard $30. Taxes depend on where you live and may be as high as 24% or as low as 6%. This is on top of the $30. To find your tax rate see HERE.

How do I contact Sprint?

With a SERO plan, you can now call Employee Customer Service at 1-866-250-2221. Otherwise, there are numerous ways of contacting Sprint both via the Sprint website as well as through your phone. ( enter *2 on your phone).

I have had several perks added. Where can I see them on my account?

Unlimited text that were added during the promotion period can be viewed under 'usage'. Unlimited text (and other perks) that were not added as a promotion can be viewed on your statement. These will show up as a charge, and then an off-set credit. Corporate discounts are only viewable on your bill as a credit as well.

I have more questions that are not outlined in this FAQ. Is it possible they have been addressed somewhere else?

There are numerous places which talk about SERO, some of these are... HowardForums/Sero slickdeals/Deal Talk SprintUsers/Tips and Tricks

Expired Offers

EXPIRED 5/31/2007 Now Through May 31st Receive $40 or $50 for Referrals (only for those subscribers who received a postcard. All others receive regular amount)!! (TY HAWAIIANDAWN!!) From now through May 31st referring customers will receive double the amount on a Visa gift card. The newly referred person will still receive the original amount of $25.

Checking your Sprint Referral Card?

Check your Sprint Referral Card status HERE (Thanks to Daisy78)

How to track your order?

How to track your order (if it has been shipped). (This is specifically for order confirmations that are only 7 characters long.) Seems like sprint doesnt know anything about them, so do this,: go here to UPS's track by reference number. Then, enter your confirmation number, followed by 001 (all numbers). Fill out the rest accordingly. For the confirmation number, if it doesnt work the first time, try replacing O with zero or vice versa. From my experience, all the 0s in the confirmation are numbers. There are no letter Os. There is a chance that your package might not show up. A few things to verify that its from sprint is that it should be shipped via next day air saver, and one of their shipping locations is from Louisville, KY. (TY skreemer7)

How do I confirm that you are on the SERO plan?

To confirm that you are on the SERO plan.. A-Log into the Sprint website.

Proceed to the plan details page by either clicking on the "Phone & Plan" link or the "View Plan" link.

If the "View Plan" link is not visible, then just expand the phone number dropdown selector, and select the phone you have on SERO.

There are two types of description indicating if you are on the SERO plan. Type 1 below shows what the description would be if you are on the older P2K billing system:

Sprint Fair & Flexible Plan

• Adjustable Anytime Minutes
• $30 Minimum Monthly Charge
• AMERICA - ROAMING Included
• Nationwide Long Distance Included
• Unlimited Night & Weekend Mins. Included
• Nights: M-Th 7PM-7AM Wknd: F 7PM-M 7AM
• Unlimited Vision Access
• Unlimited Mobile to Mobile
• Caller ID, Call Waiting
• Three-way Calling
• Voicemail

This images shows what it would look like.

NOTE: Unlimited Vision Access can mean Vision or Power Vision )i.e. Unlimited Data). Unlimited Texting will be displayed ONLY in the "Current Usage" section. Unlimited Data will NOT be displayed in the "Current Usage" section.

NOTE: Picture and Video mail are NOT displayed as included anywhere. You can either test it on your phone or email e-care to confirm, but it is normally automatically added with SERO.

Type 2 below shows what the description would be if you are on the newer Ensemble system: SERO F&F 500- $30.0

• Sprint Fair & Flex
• Caller ID
• Adjustable Anytime Minutes
• Call Waiting
• Three-way Calling
• $30.00 Minimum Monthly Charge
• Voicemail
• Nationwide Long Distance Included
• Unlimited Night & Weekend Mins. Included
• Nights: M-Th 7PM-7AM Wknd: F 7PM-M 7AM
• Unlimited Mobile to Mobile (pcs to Pcs)

This images shows what it would look like.

NOTE: Unlimited Vision Access can mean Vision or Power Vision )i.e. Unlimited Data). Unlimited Texting will be displayed ONLY in the "Current Usage" section. Unlimited Data will NOT be displayed in the "Current Usage" section.

NOTE: Picture and Video mail are NOT displayed as included anywhere. You can either test it on your phone or email e-care to confirm, but it is normally automatically added with SERO.

Note: If you have one of the higher dollar / higher minute SERO plans, the minimum monthly charge and / or the SERO F&F X description on the page will be whatever dollar / minute SERO plan you have. Special thanks to HF member SuperG03 for this information.

Other tips not necessarily SERO Related

I Heard Sprint just released a new email client. How do I get it?

Sprint Mobile Email is available now for download at no additional charge to Sprint data subscribers on select Sprint and Nextel phones (started November 30, 2006). Additional features of Sprint Mobile Email include: The ability to compose messages while outside data coverage, such as on an airplane, and save them for later sending. The ability to view other folders such as sent messages, deleted messages and drafts. The option to enable push mail notification to automatically synchronize the user's mailbox whenever a new message arrives. Standard text messaging rates apply when this option is enabled. The option to enable mail alerts to receive an audible alert whenever a new message arrives. Standard text messaging rates apply when this option is enabled. See sprint.com for download instructions.

Top 30 Tips/Uses for your Sprint phone

LINK (thank you Sony32)

Setting up your Gmail on your smartphone

This is basically to set up a Gmail account on a Treo 700w smartphone, but could possibly be applied to others. YMMV.

A Gmail account can be configured to behave as a POP3 account; in other words, you can use an email application rather than a web browser to get your mail. Gmail stores all of your email under 'All Mail.' You can use the labels and filters feature in Gmail to organize your mail, but all your messages will remain in 'All Mail.' Gmail labels are not recognized in POP email clients such as VersaMail. Learn more about using POP with Gmail.

What you will need:

A Gmail account. Make sure you have enabled POP in your Gmail account: under 'Settings,' choose the Forwarding and Pop tab and select 'Enable POP only for mail that arrives from now on.' Remember to save changes. Your email account name and password. Your Treo 700w smartphone provisioned for internet access.

Basic Email Settings for Gmail

Incoming mail (POP3) server: pop.gmail.com (use SSL and port 995) Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: smtp.gmail.com (use authentication and SSL; use port 465 or 587) Account Name/Login Name: your full Gmail email address (username@gmail.com)

1. From the Start menu, select Messaging
2. Tap Menu, then select Tools. Select New Account
3. Enter the email address you want to set up (Example: joe.treo@gmail.com), then press Next
4. Your smartphone will search for automatic settings associated with that email type. Wait until the Status box says "Completed," then press Next
5. Enter your information:

Your name: Your first and last name as you want it to appear when you send an email. User name. Password. Save password: Check this box if you don't want to enter your password every time you check your email, or if you'll be setting up automatic email checking

1. Press Next.
2. Enter the requested information:

Account type. Name: This is the name that identifies your account in the list of email accounts in the Messaging application (Example: Friends).

1. Enter the server information:

Incoming mail\* Outgoing mail\* Domain To specify a port for the incoming or outgoing mail server, enter "pop.gmail.com: [port number\]" or "smtp.gmail.com: [port number\]."

1. Select Options

On the first Option screen, check the box to enable automatic email checking. Since this is a personal account that isn't behind a firewall, leave the Connection setting as "The Internet." Press Next. On the second Option screen, do not select how far back you want your smartphone to retrieve email (Gmail users who have selected this option experience difficulties retrieving mail). Check the box next to "Outgoing mail requires authentication." Select Outgoing Settings, and enter your username, password, and check the box next to "Require SSL for outgoing mail." Tap OK in the top right corner when you are done. Then, press Next. On the third Option screen, select how much of your email messages you want to receive when you sync. You can always select "Get the rest of this message" when you're reading an email that was truncated. Many users prefer to get message headers or just a small portion of the message body when they sync, to save time or data charges. Select Finish. You'll be asked whether you want to download mail for the new account now. Select Yes or No.

GMail now supports IMAP, which is much better than POP access. To configure for IMAP access, see the GMail help at http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=75725.

Contributors

This FAQ would not be possible without the continuing contributions of members from the following discussion groups. Thanks to all those that contributed in explaining and detailing this outstanding plan.

• (from slickdeals)

The FAQ was mainly compiled by Malyshka over at slickdeal.net as well as from the following members... wikipost, madlife,lzyDrgnZ, Ash,Ajskhan, Johhny G, GlitterDone, b0n3, Daisy78, Dealseeker,Hawaiiandawn,skreemer77, Sony32,

• (from Howardforums)

These include the three original SERO threads #1, #2, & #3) on HowardForums, Special thanks to cruznis300, lennyj17, and SuperG03

• (from Buzz About Wireless)

Special thanks go to tristan allowing the use of the email over at BuzzAboutWireless

• (from Sprint Forum)

Maze

and many more contributors will be posted as I get to them...

Outside Links

• HowardForums
• Buzz About Wireless
• slickdeals.net
• Spintusers
• phonescoop
• SprintForums.net
• fatwallet.com
• Mobiledia.com
• Wifi-Forum.com
• Sprint-Developer