cannot add aol account to iPad mini version 9.3.5

In common with many other Mail providers, AOL now use App Specific Passwords to access IMAP or POP3 mailboxes.

The Mail App on each of your devices, such as your iPad, requires a unique password to be generated from within the AOL account. This App Specific password intentionally differs from your AOL account password - and can only be used to access your AOL mail.

More information about AOL’s App Specific Passwords can be found here:

https://help.aol.com/articles/allow-apps-that-use-less-secure-sign-in?guccounter=1

A device account, already set-up, will continue to work. AOLs servers are smarter than just looking at the account credentials - the device “fingerprint” is a factor in determining the required credentials. If you modify any part of the existing account setup on the device that still works, you will trigger the requirement for an AOL App Specific Password.

When setting-up a device with a new account, the credentials are tested as part of the setup. Because you are using your AOL Account Password and not the [now required] App Specific Password, account setup and logon will fail.

Be assured, your specific problem is in not creating and using an App Specific Password for your iPad.

To add an email account to your iPad:

Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Add Account

What happens when you go to Settings>Mail, Contacts, Calendar>Add Account?

As expected 🙂

So this problem is now fully resolved?