HT201419: Get help with Mail on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Learn about Get help with Mail on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touchQ: Cannot get mail - the mail server "imap.gmail.com" is not responding. The correct account info is in Mail settings. How do I resol ... Cannot get mail - the mail server "imap.gmail.com" is not responding. The correct account info is in Mail settings. How do I resolve? more
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Helpful answers
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Nov 11, 2015 3:26 PM in response to Samantha Dowby CPTodd,"I delete the account and re-add it, and it works fine for a few days, and then I get the errors again. I have two-factor authentication enabled, if that adds anything to the mix in terms of settings."
Glad I am not the only one. I have been having the same problem on my new iPhone 6s and using the same "fix". I called tech support and all he could do was suggest the delete and reinstall option and if that didn't work he suggested using the Gmail iOS app which I refuse to use (not because it is bad but simply because the mail app SHOULD WORK and I like having my email in one program). Anyhow, when it originally started I thought I had done something wrong as I had just set up the phone from scratch. Then it happened again. I didn't think anything of it and so deleted and reinstalled again. Then again but this time I realized something was up. I deleted and reinstalled and then it happened yet again and that is when I called apple who suggested. . . delete and reinstall (and use of the gmail app if it didn't work). So I did that and it happened yet again. Something is wrong and someone over at apple and/or google needs to figure it out.
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Nov 11, 2015 3:30 PM in response to MailQueryby Steel Dragon,All of the sudden I am not having this issue anymore on either my iPad Air 2 or iPhone 6 Plus, for more than a week now, and I did absolutely nothing.
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Nov 13, 2015 10:36 AM in response to MailQueryby hullamospapagaj,Add me to the list.
SHAME APPLE, it's a shame that you can't fix this problem!!!
I am going to buy an Android phone for emailing.
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Nov 13, 2015 1:46 PM in response to hullamospapagajby basleyb,I have the same issue. I can't remember now if it started with iOS 9 or 9.1. But I get the same message as the original poster. If I delete the Gmail account from Settings->Mail, and add it back, it'll work again for about a week. Then, it stops and the error comes up. I did this about 4 times now. Anyone have any suggestions?
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Nov 17, 2015 3:51 PM in response to sean7316by NextelMichaelG,sean7316 wrote:
I just closed down the Gmail app on my phone and I stopped receiving the error in Apple Mail. I think if you close or get rid of the Gmail app it will eliminate the error.
Thanks for this helpful tip! Wholly crapp, it worked!?! However, I wouldn't have had the Gmail app open in the first place if I wasn't getting the error in native iOS Mail app.. I will pay extra close attention from now on.... regardless, THANKS!!!
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Dec 6, 2015 12:28 PM in response to geosternby dswnyc,geostern wrote:
I found a fix that is not permanent, but that always works quickly. When you get the imap [error] message, simply double-click the HOME button on your iPad or iPhone and delete (by sweeping up) the mail program. Then go back into the mail program. It'll work. By the way, this happens with Gmail and sometimes with Outlook.com mail (Hotmail, MSN mail), maybe more. Apple needs to address it.
This has worked for me EVERY time. This makes me think that this is an Apple iOS issue, and not a Gmail issue per se.
Thank you!
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Dec 17, 2015 10:46 AM in response to dswnycby Zacharias Beckman,It is indeed an Apple iOS Mail bug. The problem amounts to an authentication timeout, as I understand it – and it only bites people that use two-factor authentication:
- If you use the "Google" account type and two-factor authentication, setup works fine.
- Then after about 24 hours email stops working with the "imap.gmail.com is not responding" issue.
As pointed out above there is a simple, temporary (and annoying) workaround – just kill the iOS Mail application, then start it up again. This will cause the app to re-authenticate, and you will be good for another 24 hours give-or-take. Another workaround is to send an email. It appears that every time you send an email the iOS Mail app also re-authenticates – so every time you send an email the timeout clock gets reset to zero. People who send a lot of email may never see this bug.
Unfortunately, I have three email accounts (all on gmail) and I really only send from one of them. So... Every day, I start seeing this error show up.
If you are too fed up to keep killing the iOS Mail app, there is another solution:
- Login to your Google account and generate some application specific passwords.
- Delete the "Google" type of mail account, and create a new mail account by adding an account of type "Other."
- Set up the account as a standard IMAP SMTP account, using the new application login/password that you generated. This avoids the two-factor authentication problem.
- You may need to turn on IMAP access on the Google mail account, depending on your settings. (Just login on Gmail and click on settings, then make sure that IMAP is enabled).
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Dec 29, 2015 2:54 PM in response to MailQueryby TinCanGoat,I have no idea if this works as mine phone is working fine with Gmail now (cousin is having this issue), but at one point I couldn't get Gmail and IPhone to mate and figured out it was because I have periods in my Gmail user name; e.g., bobs.your.uncle(AT)gmail.com and most times those are ignored, but sometimes certain software won't play nice unless you use them.
IPhone wouldn't accept my info unless I put those periods back in and after I did I haven't had issues since. I just got in the habit of always adding those periods now. Even made it so the IPhone auto-corrects the email address for me.
Worth a shot if you're still having issues.
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Jan 21, 2016 5:36 AM in response to MailQueryby LisaHutt,★HelpfulThis problem has plagued me several times and each time, for days on end. None of the answers above helped. This morning however, I went into settings > mobile > then scrolled down to the mobile data for each app. Settings, mail etc were already on but I flicked any others that were off over to green too. Hey presto, email started downloading straight away. It's like mail is linked to another app which when mobile data is switched off, affects email too. Good luck to the other 130K people that viewed this trail.
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Jan 30, 2016 10:54 AM in response to LisaHuttby dan312a,Has anyone tried to do a backup, factory reset the phone and then restore it?
I have been advised to do that but it's too much trouble to go through for the native mail app.
I have decided to use the official gmail app for now, the Mail starts working again, that's fine...
If it doesn't work anymore I'll stick witht he gmail app, it's actually pretty good...
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Jan 30, 2016 10:58 AM in response to LisaHuttby dan312a,You are a life saver! thanks so much, your advice fixed the problem for me!
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Apr 21, 2016 5:05 AM in response to geosternby srawald,thanks for this simple tip to fix an annoying intermittent problem
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May 5, 2016 6:17 AM in response to MailQueryby Sodabiscuit12345,If anyone is having this problem, and also has the 2-step verification set up, that may be the problem.
Go here: http://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha from the device you are having trouble with.
It will send you a verification code to wherever you normally receive those (text, email), and enter that code.
If it still does not work, you can follow the instructions on the above webpage that will allow you to create device-specific password for whatever device is giving you trouble.
That solved it for me. Got the info here: http://www.iphonefaq.org/archives/971486
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Jun 22, 2016 7:41 AM in response to MailQueryby Matttes,I Had this problem too and solved with Apple support. The problem is on Googles side. You have to log-in into your Google account first via Safary or any browser. Simply visit gmail.com and log-in. There is two step verification that has to be made. When you log-in its solved and you can set it on your iPad.
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Jul 25, 2016 9:10 AM in response to Matttesby jlkraus,Thank you Matttes!!!! This issue has been a huge time suck all weekend.