This message cant be downloaded from the server

Is the email client that you use for this account on your computer actively running and checking the incoming mail server for new messages?

If so, this is the problem. Most email account providers for a POP account do not support two email clients accessing the incoming mail server for the account at the same time. This is not a problem with an IMAP account.

I have had that happen too....not sure why. As far as what Allan mentioned....my email account is a POP account (Comcast) and I mostly only check my email on my iPhone when I'm away from home and I get that issue. When I'm home, I usually only check my email on my laptop....so I haven't been accessing my emails from both my iPhone and my laptop at the same time....so I'm not sure why I get this with some of my emails.

It is called a server lock and can be in effect longer than when both email clients check the incoming mail server.

So even if I'm gone away from home all day....and don't check my email from my home computer....and only check it from my iPhone, there can still be a server lock on it? I did not know that. But Thanks for that info. Allan, because now I know why some messages can not be downloaded....which usually is not a huge deal, because I know that I'll eventually be home and be able to view my messages. It only bothers me if it's an important email and I'm not home. 😉

Message was edited by: BlingMe

I hate this about using POP. I have had to login to my account using Safari on the iPhone to get a message that I had downloaded some days ago. I think that IMAP is the way to go. Unfortunately, some ISP's do not offer IMAP...

You might want to check out this slightly older post!

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5630485&#5630485

Certainly much more of a problem than indicated here.... I too am suffering that dreaded, random message...

NB Sorry, that link takes you to page 6 of 7 pages on the problem - be sure to go to page 1 first to read through

Do the emails have attachments or pictures or stationary / graphics / signatures in them? If so it's probably that your just accessing the email before its downloaded completely. If your on edge and the email is large in size, you'll get alerted to a new email and the headers (and preview lines) will download quickly, but the whole email and attachments are still not downloaded yet. If you then try to view the email before its down downloading completely you get the message not downloaded from server message and usually once you get that you cant retrieve the email on your phone, you then have to gte it on your computer. What I do, especially with emails that have attachments, is usually wait a few minutes before accessing the email, make sure edge has finished downloading it, and you dont get that error (or not as much).

I don't get this message when accessing my business POP account with my iPhone but if this account is online with the Mail.app on my Mac, the account goes offline with the Mail.app.

A POP account is not designed to be accessed with an email client on multiple computers or devices - plain an simple so get rid of what is a dreaded account type protocol when doing so and switch to an IMAP account which is designed for this very thing.

I was having problems with Cox on Outgoing mail and I got around it by using my company e-mail server settings as the host, user name and password for Outgoing mail on all my e-mail accounts. This solved the problem for me.

I have found the answer to the email problem "the is email has not been downloaded from server".

How do I reach apple to tell them.

Iphone works great with attachments and I do not have set up other "push" accounts to make it work.

It works with any email account and you do not have to do anything to your iphone to get it work. Also, you do not have to have gmail or yahoo accounts either.

deborah5151,

The iPhone downloads the headers of the messages, and the first few lines for the preview view. When you go to view a message it downloads and caches a copy of the message. This is a temporary cache, and depending on several factors the iPhone may clear this to make room for another message. When you go back to a message that has been cleared from cache it has to download it again.

When it comes to downloading the message, there is two similar errors that need to be considered.

First, "This message has not been downloaded from the server yet" means the iPhone sees the message on the server, and is trying to download it. Depending on the size of the message, its attachments, and how you are connected to the internet it may take a few minutes. The iPhone is capable of displaying the full html version of the message. Many email messages are broken up into multiple parts, each with their own MIME type. For example a message might be in plain-text, html, and have some attachments. The iPhone is capable of displaying the HTML version, and making the attachments available.

Second, "This message could not be downloaded from the server." This means one of two things. The iPhone was trying to download the message and was interrupted, perhaps by a POP lock cause by your computer checking the mailbox while it was downloading. You can also get this message if the iPhone still has the header for the message, but the message has been removed from the server by another mail client, such as your computer, removing the message from the server.

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

I'm having the same problem too...

I've my Hotmail account linked to my iPhone Mail Application through an IzyMail subscription.

Some emails come up with this message, and the content isn't that big in the email - ebay outbid notice, or Pay Pal receipt for example.

Some emails will downoad within 5 minutes if I check them again, but others never seem to download and I have to wait till I get back to my MacBook Pro to check my email.

I have found the solution. It is not push email or anything crazy with the phone. Apple can reach me at if they are interested in the fix. I am surprised all the techies didnt figure this one out.