Cross-Platform Email Sync: A Complete Guide
Published September 18, 2025
• 6 min read
Learn how Inboxify maintains perfect synchronization between your mobile, desktop, and web clients. This guide covers technical implementation, best practices, and troubleshooting.
1. Platform Support & Compatibility
Mobile
- iOS & Android apps with PWA support for offline access
- Push notifications for new messages
- Dark/light mode auto-detection
Desktop
- Windows/Linux/macOS native clients
- Background sync in taskbar/dock visibility
- Multi-monitor layout support
Web
- Progressive Web App (PWA) with offline cache
- Cross-browser consistency
- WebAssembly-based performance optimizations
2. Sync Implementation Architecture
Conflict Resolution
Inboxify uses Operational Transformation (OT) with CRDTs for real-time sync. All changes are timestamped with vector clocks:
// Simplified sync example
const sync = {
version: 3,
operations: [
{ op_type: "add", timestamp: "2025-09-18T12:00:00Z", path: ["emails", 23, "flags"], value: ["starred"] },
{ op_type: "add", timestamp: "2025-09-18T12:00:01Z", path: ["folders", "projects", "emails", 4], value: "moved" }
]
};
Operations are processed in temporal order with CRDT principles to ensure eventual consistency across all devices.
Best Practice 1
Maintain offline mode by regularly syncing at least once every 24 hours from the same device to avoid excessive conflict resolution operations
Best Practice 2
Avoid making changes simultaneously across two devices during major folder reorganization operations
Sync Process Visualization
Our sync engine detects changes on every platform and queues sync operations to preserve history and avoid data loss. Changes propagate in batches for optimal network performance.
Security Note
All sync operations are encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). Sync metadata is protected using RSA-2048 keys stored in our Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).
Storage Format
Mobile/Desktop
- SqLite database with FTS5 for searching
- File attachments stored in secure containers
- Sync history retention: 180 days
Web
- IndexedDB with CRDT extensions
- Binary diff encoding for efficient updates
- Memory-mapped file caching
Common Sync Issues
| Symptom | Solution |
|---|---|
| Messages missing after app update | Check storage permissions and enable debug mode |
| Folders out of sync | Force full sync via settings |
| Sync freezing | Reduce network usage limits |