POP Account Not Deleting Messages From Server

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Level 1

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POP Account Not Deleting Messages From Server

Hi,

I have a POP email account, and when I delete messages on my phone, they do not delete from server (as has been setup). Previously this worked okay, but for some reason no longer works (it worked under OS4.0, but I only noticed the problem after upgrading to OS4.1., so I don't know if this is related.

Problem occurs regardless of whether account is logged in or not on the desktop PC.

A friend has the same problem.

iPhone 4, iOS 4

Posted on Oct 30, 2010 5:19 PM

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Answer 1

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Oct 31, 2010 4:40 AM in response to falcon351

As there are no settings in iPhone Mail to tell your server to delete messages once they've been deleted on the phone, how did you set this up before?
I think you need an IMAP account instead as this isn't a setting on the iPhone and hasn't been since at least 3.1

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Answer 2

wjosten

Level 10

95,369 points

Oct 31, 2010 5:10 AM in response to falcon351

By default, the Mail app on iPhone will never delete messages from the server. Instructions for setting Mail to remove messages on the server after one week are provided below:

1. In Settings, select Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
2. Select the account for which you wish to change the settings.
3. Select Advanced, located at the bottom of the list.
4. Select the Delete from server option.
5. Choose Seven days from the pop-up menu.
6. Press the Home button to return to the Home screen.

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Answer 3

falcon351 Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 31, 2010 12:40 PM in response to wjosten

Thanks for the responses, but the setting has always been to delete mail from the server (how I originally set it up):

Advanced>Delete from server>When removed from Inbox

Despite this, the messages do not delete from the server.

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Answer 4

wjosten

Level 10

95,369 points

Oct 31, 2010 1:52 PM in response to falcon351

What mail client are you using & what are the settings on your computer?

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Answer 5

falcon351 Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 31, 2010 5:01 PM in response to wjosten

I just use the web based client (it is Earthlink).

I deleted the account and set it up again, but it did not solve the problem. Earthlink support told me to contact Apple.

A friend got an iPhone 4 and was complaining that mail was not deleting from their server after the mail was deleted from the iPhone.

I tested this on my account, and it worked fine. I later upgraded from OS 4 to OS 4.1, and just noticed that my mail is not deleting either now, so I don't know if it was related to the upgrade.

My Gmail account deletes from the server, but not the Earthlink account.

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Answer 6

wjosten

Level 10

95,369 points

Nov 1, 2010 1:39 AM in response to falcon351

I'm not that familiar with Earthlink, but a friend who uses a "Crackberry" suggested these settings which he got from Blackberry support:

EarthLink Mailbox
1. Click Tools.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click the Accounts tab.
4. Select the email account and click Edit.
5. Select the Leave messages on the server after downloading check box.
Note: Because EarthLink Mailbox does not provide an option to automatically remove email messages after a certain number of days, the messaging server begins to fill up after turning on this option. To remove email messages, click Tools > Settings. Click the Receive tab, then select the Remove message from server when deleted from trash check box.

Message was edited by: wjosten

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Answer 7

falcon351 Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 1, 2010 8:18 AM in response to wjosten

Wjosten,

Thanks for your continued responses.

How old is the info you got regarding Earthlink settings? I went through both my account settings, and my Webmail settings, and could not find the exact settings below. In fact, this seems to be more of a setting when you set up a desktop mail client (e.g. Part of Outlook setup). See here for an example: http://support.earthlink.net/articles/email/setting-up-outlook-2007-to-send-and- receive-email.php (it is on the last screenshot)

Regardless, I only use the webmail, and I thought that if I delete mail on the iPhone, then the setting on the iPhone to delete mail from the server should do that.

Any thoughts on whether there is something buggy with the iPhone? I had another strange iPhone problem which was fixed by deleting the acccount, logging into Gmail and recreating the account. The problem was that Gmail on the iPhone would let me send new mail, but if I tried to Reply to a message, it would not work and the error was that there was no password!

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Answer 8

tivoboy

Level 1

15 points

Nov 25, 2010 2:20 PM in response to falcon351

I've been having the SAME problem. Prior to adding an iphone 4 to the mix.

Here is the scenario.
GF, mac, iphone 1, earthlink mail, deleted from server after deleting on either IPHONE and MAIL ON MAC client, after deleting trash. Worked fine.

Now, she has iphone4, setup earthlink pop mail, mail no longer deletes from server, even when using the mail client on the mac.

MOM: Had pc, and iphone 1, earthlink mail. Mail deleted from server after deleting on the iphone 1, and deleting trash AND if she used her pc client to get pop mail, deleted trash, it deleted from server.

Now, I just moved her up to iphone 4, and moved her to a macbook air. Setup the accounts the same, let the iphone 4 SELF CONFIGURE the earthlink pop account. Now, NOTHING deletes from the server, not the mail client on the MACBOOK or the iphone 4, JUST LIKE THE GF devices.

So, WHAT has changed at either earthlink, or is there something that the ihpone 4 self configuration DOES to the server?

Also, how to fix it, become it is untenable as it is

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