iPhone locking my mailbox

RIM provides a dedicated email delivery service for email account access with a Blackberry. I don't believe a Blackberry connects direct with the incoming mail server for an email account as does the iPhone's Mail client.

The downside of accessing a POP account with more than one email client - especially with more than one email client checking the incoming mail server at the same time - automatically or manually is the incoming mail server locks the mailbox - or the account's Inbox mailbox. It isn't the iPhone's Mail client or Entourage that is keeping the account's Inbox mailbox locked.

This isn't a problem with an IMAP account.

I've used simultaneous direct access to the same Pop account with more than one client before (Mail and Outlook for example), and while once in a while it happens that one will stall and not be able to access the mailbox, that's usually resolved by a quick manual check 30 seconds or a minute later. It seems to me that Mail and iPhone Mail somehow extend the 'locking' period. Once the two have attempted to access the mail server at the same time, my desktop Mail client won't work until I close the iPhone entirely.

I also had a Blackberry for a couple of years and used multiple Pop accounts without one hitch. Your explanation as to why this is the case makes complete sense to me, but what doesn't is the bottom line; are you saying Blackberry is ultimately superior when you want to use Pop accounts with multiple machines? I'm kind of surprised that the iPhone is proving so frustrating to use with Mail.

What are the options here? Has anyone come up with some combination of auto and manual checking that results in the least amount of conflict?

I am having very similar problems with iPhone (2.02) and Entourage on my mac when I access my POP mail. Last night after I checked my mail with my iPhone, Entourage could not get access to the mail server. I had to turn off the iPhone. After waiting for a few minutes and still getting no access through my Mac, I had to restart my computer which fixed the issue. I have fetch turned on my iPhone.

Has anyone got a solution to this? I am about to install 2.1.

I also had a Blackberry for a couple of years and used multiple Pop accounts without one hitch. Your explanation as to why this is the case makes complete sense to me, but what doesn't is the bottom line; are you saying Blackberry is ultimately superior when you want to use Pop accounts with multiple machines?

I'm saying RIM provides a dedicated email delivery service for the Blackberry which is doing all the incoming mail server checking. Not sure how this is different from an email client checking the incoming mail server for an account but it must be. And when RIM's servers go down (which happens from time to time), no email from any account.

Although it is possible to access a POP account with more than one email client, a POP account is designed to be accessed with a single email client only. If you are accessing a POP account with multiple email clients, you need to use only one email client at a time that is actively checking the incoming mail server for the account for new messages.

This is not a problem with an IMAP account, which is designed to be accessed with multiple email clients at the same time with the ability to have multiple email clients actively checking server stored mailboxes for the account at the same time.

This is called a Pop lock and this is normal.


This is to protect you on the backend.



The Poplock is told that if you try to access the account on multiple devices too fast it will time out. If you keep trying to access without giving it rest time the pop lock is longer. Eventually you could be locked out of the account all together.

Is the only solution then to turn off Mail on iPhone or the iPhone off altogehther when I am at home checking my mail on my mac so that iPhone does not lock my POP account?

You should be fine. If the iPhone is set to check every 15 min that is plenty of a gap between when you check on the PC/Mac


So you should be fine.

This mainly applies when you press get mail multiple times and it has not had a chance to submit the first request.


It's rare that this happens. But to avoid it close out of Mail at home if you are not using it and on the road with iPhone. Or if possible switch to an IMAP based account.

Yes - you can turn the account off or turn your iPhone off.

A POP account is designed to be accessed with a single email client only which especially applies to multiple email clients actively accessing the incoming mail server for the account at or near the same time.

If your iPhone's mail client is checking the incoming mail server followed by Entourage doing the same at or near the same time, the incoming mail server for the account will prevent Entourage from checking the incoming mail server.

This isn't the iPhone locking the inbox mailbox for the account. This is done by the incoming mail server locking the account's inbox mailbox preventing the 2nd email client that is checking the incoming mail server from downloading messages - whichever the 2nd email client happens to be at that time.