diff --git a/src/com/android/email/mail/store/ImapFolder.java b/src/com/android/email/mail/store/ImapFolder.java
index 7a9b927b3..67076c250 100644
--- a/src/com/android/email/mail/store/ImapFolder.java
+++ b/src/com/android/email/mail/store/ImapFolder.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package com.android.email.mail.store;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
+import android.text.format.DateUtils;
 import android.util.Base64DataException;
 
 import com.android.email.mail.store.ImapStore.ImapException;
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.LinkedHashSet;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.TimeZone;
 
 class ImapFolder extends Folder {
     private final static Flag[] PERMANENT_FLAGS =
@@ -392,7 +394,6 @@ class ImapFolder extends Folder {
     @VisibleForTesting
     String[] searchForUids(String searchCriteria) throws MessagingException {
         checkOpen();
-        LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "searchForUids '" + searchCriteria + "'");
         try {
             try {
                 final String command = ImapConstants.UID_SEARCH + " " + searchCriteria;
@@ -497,21 +498,35 @@ class ImapFolder extends Folder {
     @VisibleForTesting
     public Message[] getMessages(long startDate, long endDate, MessageRetrievalListener listener)
             throws MessagingException {
-        LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "getMessages since " + startDate + " before " + endDate);
-        // Dates must be formatted like: 7-Feb-1994 21:52:25 -0800
+        // Dates must be formatted like: 7-Feb-1994. Time info within a date is not
+        // universally supported.
         // XXX can I limit the maximum number of results?
-        final String format = String.format("dd-LLL-yyyy HH:mm:ss Z");
-        final SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(format);
+        final SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-LLL-yyyy", Locale.US);
+        formatter.setTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone("UTC"));
         final String sinceDateStr = formatter.format(endDate);
-        final String beforeDateStr = formatter.format(startDate);
 
-        if (startDate < endDate) {
-            throw new MessagingException(String.format("Invalid date range: %s - %s",
-                    sinceDateStr, beforeDateStr));
+        final StringBuilder queryParam = new StringBuilder();
+        queryParam.append( "1:* ");
+        // If the caller requests a startDate of zero, then ignore the BEFORE parameter.
+        // This makes sure that we can always query for the newest messages, even if our
+        // time is different from the imap server's time.
+        if (startDate != 0) {
+            final String beforeDateStr = formatter.format(startDate);
+            if (startDate < endDate) {
+                throw new MessagingException(String.format("Invalid date range: %s - %s",
+                        sinceDateStr, beforeDateStr));
+            }
+            queryParam.append("BEFORE \"")
+                .append(beforeDateStr)
+                .append("\" ");
         }
-        return getMessagesInternal(
-                searchForUids(String.format(Locale.US, "1:* BEFORE \"%s\" SINCE \"%s\"",
-                        beforeDateStr, sinceDateStr)), listener);
+        queryParam.append("SINCE \"")
+             .append(sinceDateStr)
+             .append("\"");
+
+        LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "getMessages dateRange " + queryParam.toString());
+
+        return getMessagesInternal(searchForUids(queryParam.toString()), listener);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/com/android/email/service/ImapService.java b/src/com/android/email/service/ImapService.java
index 54fb7cc33..4b2b7c58a 100644
--- a/src/com/android/email/service/ImapService.java
+++ b/src/com/android/email/service/ImapService.java
@@ -409,9 +409,12 @@ public class ImapService extends Service {
         // 6. Save folder message count that we got earlier.
         mailbox.updateMessageCount(context, remoteMessageCount);
 
-        // 7. Figure out how big our sync window should be.
-        long startDate = System.currentTimeMillis();
-        long endDate = startDate - DEFAULT_SYNC_WINDOW_MILLIS;
+        // 7. Figure out how big our sync window should be. Leave startDate set to zero, this
+        // indicates we do not want any constraint on the BEFORE parameter sent in our query.
+        // This way, we will always be able to get the most recent messages, even if the
+        // imap server's date is different from ours.
+        long startDate = 0;
+        long endDate = System.currentTimeMillis() - DEFAULT_SYNC_WINDOW_MILLIS;
         LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "original window " + startDate + " - " + endDate);
         Cursor localOldestCursor = null;
         try {
@@ -440,7 +443,6 @@ public class ImapService extends Service {
         }
 
         // Get all messages in our query date range:
-        LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "loading range " + startDate + " - " + endDate);
         Message[] remoteMessages;
         remoteMessages = remoteFolder.getMessages(startDate, endDate, null);
 
@@ -461,8 +463,12 @@ public class ImapService extends Service {
             startDate = endDate - 1;
             Message[] additionalMessages = new Message[0];
             long windowIncreaseSize = INITIAL_WINDOW_SIZE_INCREASE;
-            while  (additionalMessages.length < additionalMessagesNeeded) {
+            while  (additionalMessages.length < additionalMessagesNeeded && endDate > 0) {
                 endDate = endDate - windowIncreaseSize;
+                if (endDate < 0) {
+                    LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "window size too large, this is the last attempt");
+                    endDate = 0;
+                }
                 LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "requesting additional messages from range " +
                         startDate + " - " + endDate);
                 additionalMessages = remoteFolder.getMessages(startDate, endDate, null);
@@ -475,6 +481,13 @@ public class ImapService extends Service {
             }
 
             LogUtils.d(Logging.LOG_TAG, "additionalMessages " + additionalMessages.length);
+            if (additionalMessages.length < additionalMessagesNeeded) {
+                // We have attempted to load a window that goes all the way back to time zero,
+                // but we still don't have as many messages as the server says are in the inbox.
+                // This is not expected to happen.
+                LogUtils.e(Logging.LOG_TAG, "expected to find " + additionalMessagesNeeded +
+                        " more messages, only got " + additionalMessages.length);
+            }
             int additionalToKeep = additionalMessages.length;
             if (additionalMessages.length > LOAD_MORE_MAX_INCREMENT) {
                 // We have way more additional messages than intended, drop some of them.