What to Do When Your iPhone Email Is Not Working

10 ways to fix it when you're not getting emails or having other email issues

Your iPhone is your communications lifeline to the world, which is what makes it so frustrating when your iPhone email isn't working. The good news is that there are several methods you can try to keep in touch from almost anywhere.

How to Fix iPhone Email That's Not Working

There are many issues that can cause your iPhone email to not work properly. If you're in this situation, we've 10 tips that can resolve the majority of iPhone email problems. Read on to learn about each one.

  1. Check iPhone network connection. Your iPhone can't get an email if it's not connected to the internet. You need to be connected to a cellular network like a 4G LTE network through your phone company or a Wi-Fi network to access email.

    To connect to a cellular network, tap Settings > Cellular > and move the Cellular Data slider to off/white and then back to on/green.

    To connect to a Wi-Fi connection, turn on Wi-Fi in the iPhone Settings.

    It's also smart to make sure Airplane Mode isn't turned on. Airplane mode can block connections to cellular and Wi-Fi networks.

  2. Check email username and password. If your email isn't sending or downloading, it could be that there's a problem with the username and/or password for that email account. In that situation, it's most likely that you'll get a pop-up window asking you to enter your username or password again.

    If you don't get that pop-up, you may want to remove the email account from your phone and set it up again. Check out the section on how to do that later in this article.

  3. Close the app and relaunch. One quick way to fix an app that's not working as expected is to quit the app and relaunch it. This may solve some problems that cause Mail not to work. When the Mail app is closed, tap the Mail app again to relaunch it.

  4. Check email settings. Email accounts on the iPhone can be set to check email on a schedule (every 30 minutes, for example) or to have mail pushed to your device as soon as it arrives. The settings you choose impact how your email arrives on your phone.

  5. Restart the iPhone. If your Internet connection is good, your settings fine, and you've restarted the Mail app, your next step is a common iPhone-troubleshooting measure: restarting your phone. Believe it or not, restarting an iPhone can solve tons of problems. Sometimes your phone just needs a fresh start. 

  6. Update iOS using iTunes or update iOS without iTunes. Another key troubleshooting step is to make sure you have the latest version of the iOS. Updated versions of the iOS deliver bug fixes and improvements to features. It's possible that the problems with your email are the result of a bug that's fixed with the latest iOS update or that your email provider has changed some settings and only the latest iOS version works with the change.

  7. Delete the email account from your iPhone, then add the account to your iPhone again. If none of these steps have helped and you're still having iPhone email problems, there may not be anything wrong with your phone. Instead, the problem may be the settings you're using. If you entered the wrong server address, username, or password when setting up the account on your phone, you won't be able to get email. If that's the case, delete the email account.

    With the email account deleted from your phone, double check all the settings that you should use to access this account. Then go through the process of adding the email account to your iPhone again. 

  8. Contact your email provider for support. If your email still isn't working, it's time to get some direct tech support for your email problems. A good first step is to check with your email provider (Google for Gmail, Yahoo for Yahoo Mail, etc.). Each email provider has different ways to provide support, but a good bet is to log into your email account on the web and then look for links like Help or Support. 

  9. Get help directly from Apple. If your email provider can't help, you may have a problem that's bigger or more complex than you can solve. In that case, it's probably best to take your iPhone — and all of the information about the email account — to your nearest Apple Store for tech support (you can also call Apple for support). Apple Stores are busy places, though, so make an appointment before heading out to make sure you get help.

  10. If it's a work account, check with your IT department. If you're trying to check a work email account, it may be that the problem doesn't lie with your iPhone at all. The problem might reside on the email server that you're trying to get email from.

    A temporary problem with that server or a configuration change that you're not aware of could block your iPhone's access. If the account that's not working is provided by your job, check with your company's IT department and see if they can help resolve the problem.

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