A reply is not appearing in Distro

Symptom: the reply is in Gmail (or the prospect says they replied), but there is no conversation for it in Outreach → Inbox, and follow-ups may still be going out.

The Inbox holds email replies. If the reply was on LinkedIn, it won't be here: see LinkedIn replies and stop on reply.

First, check it isn't just hidden: select the All view, clear the search box, and click Refresh. New replies normally appear within a few minutes. If it's still missing, work through the causes below.

1. The mailbox needs attention

Sign: a yellow notice at the top of the Inbox: "A connected mailbox needs attention, so new replies may be delayed. Check Sending accounts." Or a sender on the Sending accounts page asks you to reconnect.

Fix:

1. Go to Outreach → Sending accounts.
2. Find the Google account or sender that needs attention (for example Reconnect or Reconnect Google account) and click Reconnect.
3. Sign in to Google and keep every permission Distro asks for ticked.

After you reconnect, Distro catches up on the replies that arrived while the mailbox was disconnected. More help: Google account disconnected, permission error or connection failed.

2. Distro doesn't have permission to read replies

Distro needs Google's permission to read your mailbox in order to see replies. If that permission was unticked on Google's consent screen, emails can still go out but replies never arrive in Distro.

Fix: reconnect the Google account on the Sending accounts page and allow all requested permissions. What Google permissions Distro needs explains each one.

3. The reply went to a different mailbox

Distro reads replies only from the mailbox of the Google account that sent the email. A reply is missed when:

• the campaign has a Reply to address that delivers to another mailbox,
• the prospect wrote to a different address of yours instead of replying,
• someone forwarded your email and replied from there to another inbox.

Fix: check the campaign's Reply-To and read From vs Reply-To: where replies go. If replies land in an unexpected place, see Replies are going to the wrong mailbox.

4. It isn't a reply to a Distro email

The Inbox only shows conversations that started with an email sent by Distro. These are not included:

• a new email from the prospect with a new subject, instead of a reply,
• a reply to an email you sent directly from Gmail,
• mail that arrived before you connected the mailbox to Distro.

Fix: answer these in Gmail. Because Distro doesn't see them, follow-ups won't stop automatically. Stop them yourself if needed, for example by blocking the person on the Unsubscribed list or pausing the campaign.

5. Gmail filed the reply outside the inbox

If the reply landed in Spam, or a Gmail filter skipped the inbox, it can take longer to reach Distro.

Fix: in Gmail, mark the message as not spam or move it to the inbox, and review filters that might catch prospect replies. Then give Distro a few minutes and click Refresh.

6. The conversation is there, but sorted differently

An out-of-office or bounce shows under Out of office or Bounced, not Needs reply. The search box only looks at subjects and preview text, so searching for a name may not find it.

Fix: use the All view and scroll by date, or search for words from the subject.

Still missing?

If the Inbox shows "Reply syncing is switched off in this environment", or none of the above applies, contact Distro support. Tell us the sender address, roughly when the reply arrived, and its subject line. Never send passwords.

If the missed reply means follow-ups kept going, see A prospect replied but the sequence continued.