If your iPhone is not receiving emails, the phone may not be the real problem. Apple Mail can stop updating because the account needs to sign in again, the mailbox is full, Fetch is set incorrectly, or the email provider is not delivering mail.
The same problem can appear on an iPad or Mac.
You may still see all your old messages, but nothing new arrives. One device may receive mail while another does not, or every Apple device may stop updating at the same time.
The quickest way to solve the problem is to work out whether emails have stopped reaching the account or whether Apple Mail has simply stopped displaying them.
First check whether the email account is receiving mail
Before changing settings on the iPhone or Mac, sign in to the email account through the providerโs website.
This could be:
- ๐ง Gmail through the Gmail website
- ๐ช Outlook or Microsoft 365 through Outlook on the web
- โ๏ธ iCloud Mail through iCloud.com
- ๐ Your internet provider or business email webmail page
Send a test message to the affected address and check whether it appears in webmail.
- โ The message appears in webmail: the account is receiving correctly, so the problem is probably Apple Mail, authentication or syncing on the device.
- โ The message does not appear in webmail: the problem is probably with the mailbox, email provider, storage, filtering or server rather than the Apple device.
This one test can prevent a great deal of unnecessary resetting.
Check that you are viewing the correct email account
Many iPhone and Mac users have several email accounts connected to Apple Mail.
An iPhone may contain an iCloud address, Gmail account, business mailbox and an old internet-provider address at the same time.
Open Mail and check:
- ๐ค Which email account and Inbox you are currently viewing
- ๐ฅ Whether the message arrived in another accountโs Inbox
- ๐๏ธ The Junk, Spam, Bin, Archive and All Mail folders
- ๐ Whether searching for the sender or subject finds the message
- ๐๏ธ Whether an unread, flagged or other mailbox filter is active
A message that is missing from the visible Inbox may still be present somewhere else in the account.
Refresh Apple Mail manually
On an iPhone or iPad, open Mail and drag the message list down until the activity indicator appears.
On a Mac, open Mail and select the option to get new mail.
If messages appear after a manual refresh, the account itself is probably working. The problem is more likely to involve automatic checking, Push, Fetch or background activity.
Check Fetch and Push settings on the iPhone
Email does not necessarily arrive instantly on every type of account.
Some accounts support Push, which allows the server to deliver new messages automatically. Other accounts use Fetch, which means the iPhone checks the server on a schedule.
On a current iPhone or iPad, open:
Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Fetch New Data
Check:
- ๐จ Whether Push is enabled for accounts that support it
- ๐ Whether the affected account is set to Push, Fetch or Manual
- โฑ๏ธ Whether a regular Fetch schedule has been selected
- โ Whether the account is set to Manual and only checks when Mail is opened
If Push is not available for that provider, the account will normally rely on Fetch instead.
An account set to Manual may appear to have stopped receiving mail until you open Apple Mail and refresh it.
Check whether the password has changed
A password or authentication problem is one of the most common reasons Apple Mail stops receiving new messages.
This often happens after:
- ๐ The email password was changed through the providerโs website
- ๐ก๏ธ Two-factor authentication was enabled or changed
- ๐จ The provider detected unusual or suspicious sign-in activity
- โ An existing authorisation expired
- ๐ The provider introduced a newer sign-in or security requirement
Apple Mail may continue showing previously downloaded messages even though it can no longer sign in to retrieve new ones.
Look for warnings such as:
- โ ๏ธ Cannot Get Mail
- โ ๏ธ Password Incorrect
- โ ๏ธ Account Error
- โ ๏ธ Login Failed
- โ ๏ธ Unable to Verify Account Name or Password
Try signing in through the providerโs website using the same email address and password.
If the website accepts the password but Apple Mail does not, the account may need to be authorised again through the providerโs sign-in page. Typing the password repeatedly into an old manual configuration may not fix it.
Some accounts need an app-specific password
Some email providers require an app-specific password when two-factor authentication is enabled or an account is connected through an older manual configuration.
An app-specific password is generated for the mail application. It is different from the password normally used to sign in through the providerโs website.
This may apply when:
- ๐งฉ An account has been configured manually instead of through its normal provider option
- ๐ The provider requires two-factor authentication for external mail applications
- ๐ฐ๏ธ An older email program or connection method does not support the providerโs current sign-in system
- โ๏ธ An iCloud Mail account is being used in a third-party email application that requires separate authorisation
Other providers require a modern browser-based sign-in rather than an app-specific password.
The correct method depends on the email provider and how the account was originally added.
Check whether Mail is enabled for the account
An email account can remain listed on an iPhone while Mail syncing for that account is turned off.
On an iPhone or iPad, open:
Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts
Select the affected account and confirm that Mail is enabled.
On a Mac, open:
Mail > Settings > Accounts
Select the account and confirm that it is enabled and online.
This is especially worth checking after an operating-system update, password change or previous attempt to repair the account.
Check whether the mailbox is full
Email providers place storage limits on mailboxes.
When the mailbox reaches its limit, the provider may reject new messages before they ever reach the iPhone or Mac.
Check the providerโs website for:
- ๐ Mailbox or account storage usage
- ๐ซ Warnings that the mailbox has reached its quota
- ๐ Folders containing large messages or attachments
- ๐๏ธ Deleted messages that have not been permanently removed
- ๐ค Delivery failure messages received by people trying to email you
For an iCloud email address, running out of iCloud storage can prevent iCloud Mail from sending or receiving messages.
Gmail, Microsoft 365, internet-provider and hosted business accounts have their own storage arrangements.
Phone storage and mailbox storage are different
There are two separate types of storage involved:
- ๐ฑ Device storage: the space available on the iPhone, iPad or Mac
- ๐ฌ Mailbox storage: the space available in the email account on the providerโs server
An iPhone can have plenty of free space while the online mailbox is completely full.
Deleting photos or applications from the phone will not solve a full mailbox at the email provider.
Likewise, the mailbox may be healthy while a severely full iPhone has difficulty updating applications and storing downloaded content.
Check the incoming mail-server settings
Manually configured accounts must connect to the correct incoming mail server.
The required settings can include:
- ๐ The incoming server hostname
- ๐ค The full email address or account username
- ๐ The account password or app-specific password
- ๐ The required encrypted connection setting
- ๐ช The correct incoming server port
- ๐ Whether the provider expects IMAP, POP or Exchange
On a Mac, these details can usually be checked under:
Mail > Settings > Accounts > Server Settings
Do not guess the server name, port or security method. Use the settings supplied by the email provider or business administrator.
A small difference in the server name or username format can prevent new mail from downloading while leaving previously received messages visible.
IMAP and POP can produce very different results
Most modern email accounts use Internet Message Access Protocol, usually shortened to IMAP.
IMAP keeps the mailbox on the providerโs server and synchronises it across the iPhone, iPad, Mac and webmail.
Post Office Protocol, usually shortened to POP, is an older method. It downloads messages to a device and may be configured to remove them from the server.
A POP account can cause symptoms such as:
- ๐ป Messages arriving on the Mac but not the iPhone
- ๐ Messages disappearing from webmail after being downloaded
- ๐ One computer collecting the message before another device sees it
- โ๏ธ Different devices displaying different sets of messages
If one device consistently receives email while another does not, check whether an older computer or mail program is using POP.
Do not remove an old POP account until you know where its messages are stored. Some email may exist only on that computer.
If email works on the Mac but not the iPhone
If the Mac receives new messages correctly but the iPhone does not, the mailbox and provider are probably working.
Focus on the iPhone and check:
- ๐ง Whether the same email account is configured on both devices
- โ Whether Mail is enabled for the account on the iPhone
- ๐ The accountโs Push, Fetch or Manual setting
- ๐ Whether the iPhone is displaying a password or account error
- ๐ถ Whether the iPhone has a working internet connection
- ๐ฅ Whether the Mac is using POP and removing mail from the server
Comparing the account type and settings on both devices is usually more useful than repeatedly restarting the phone.
If email works on the iPhone but not the Mac
If the same account receives new mail on the iPhone but not in Apple Mail on the Mac, the provider and mailbox are probably functioning.
Check the Mac for:
- ๐ข Whether the account is enabled and online
- ๐ A password or sign-in request
- ๐ An incoming server connection error
- ๐ก๏ธ A virtual private network, firewall or security program affecting the connection
- ๐ An incorrect system date or time
- โ๏ธ Incorrect or outdated server settings
Apple Mail on the Mac can also provide connection information that helps distinguish a password failure from a network or mail-server problem.
If every Apple device stopped receiving at once
If the same account stopped updating on an iPhone, iPad and Mac at approximately the same time, it is unlikely that all three devices developed separate problems together.
The more likely causes are:
- ๐ The password or account authorisation changed
- ๐ฆ The mailbox or cloud storage is full
- ๐ง The provider is experiencing an outage
- โ The email account has been suspended or disabled
- ๐ฅ๏ธ The incoming mail server is unavailable
- ๐งญ A business domain has a mail-routing or server problem
In this situation, changing settings independently on every Apple device can make the configuration more confusing without fixing the underlying account problem.
Be careful before deleting the email account
Removing and adding an email account again can fix damaged settings or expired authentication.
It should not automatically be the first troubleshooting step.
Before removing the account, confirm:
- ๐ You know the correct email address and password
- ๐ You can sign in successfully through the providerโs website
- ๐ฒ You have access to the required two-factor authentication method
- ๐ The account uses IMAP, Exchange or another synchronised service
- ๐พ Important messages are not stored only on the device
- ๐ You understand whether the account also controls contacts, calendars or notes
Removing a synchronised account is usually recoverable because the messages remain on the providerโs server.
Removing an old POP account can be riskier because some messages may exist only on that device.
When Apple Mail is only showing the real problem
Apple Mail is the application displaying the mailbox, but it does not control every part of email delivery.
The actual fault may be with:
- ๐ฑ The iPhone, iPad or Mac
- โ๏ธ The Apple Mail application
- ๐ The email account password or authentication
- ๐ฆ The mailbox storage quota
- ๐ The incoming mail server or email provider
- ๐งน Spam filtering, forwarding or mailbox rules
- ๐งญ The domain or business email routing
- ๐ป Another device using POP or an outdated configuration
The aim is to identify where the message stops rather than repeatedly resetting the device where the problem becomes visible.
PcRiot can help fix Apple Mail receiving problems
If your iPhone or Mac is not receiving emails, PcRiot can check whether the Apple device is the problem or whether the account itself has stopped receiving. Our email receiving troubleshooting in Perth service covers Apple Mail as well as broader mailbox, syncing and delivery problems.
PcRiot can compare webmail with your iPhone, iPad and Mac, check passwords, Fetch and Push settings, mailbox storage, IMAP or POP configuration, app-specific passwords and incoming mail-server settings.
We provide onsite computer help across Perth and can also assist remotely where suitable.