My iCloud email won't work

I just moved my account from MobileMe to iCloud. I was pushed into the move with repeated reminders that MobileMe was "going away soon." Well, at least MobileMe email worked. On iOS 5.1 on my iPad, I'm not getting email anymore, the last email to be received was a Welcome to iCloud note just after I had completed the move. Neither fetch nor push work.

However I do receive emails on my old iPhone 3, which can't be upgraded to iOS 5, where I deleted the MobileMe account settings and set up my .me email account by manually entering all the parameters.

I see that this has been an issue for many folks for some time now. It just DOESN'T work.

If I could ask for ONE thing from Apple, it would be to change the the way they handle the stuff they screw up. It's very frustrating when they seem to pretend that nothing is ever wrong with their products and services, leaving all their clients in the dark.

As I set up iCloud, I knew I was about to feel the wrath of "we're smart and don't screw up, it's all you". Mission accomplished Apple.

This is what worked for me:

1. Go to the account prefs in Mail
2. Deactivate current account (third tab in account set-up)
3. Create a new account, by pressing the + at the bottom of the setup window.
4. Go to http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4864 for what exactly to fill out, and keep it handy.
5. After you finish the first page of the setup, press 'continue'.
6. In the next window press the pop-up on top.
7. Choose IMAP. (I previously used a POP account, and iCloud wants IMAP. This may have caused the issue in my case)
8. Continue filling out as per the web site just mentioned.
9. At the end the process will check your account against incoming and outgoing mail servers at Apple.
10. If everything is correct, you get an overview page where you see both (SSL) servers are on.

Good luck.

I changed the password in mail settings to the same password and save again. I was then able to receive mail items. Now the same error message is back but mail items still appearing in Inbox. I am having the same problem on both iPhone and iPad

As you point out, web-based iCloud mail is not working either so there is a larger issue at play. I've been using iCloud on my Macs and iOS devices for weeks now without issues, until today.

What gets me is, why the **** does the iCloud System Status on the support page show "All services are online." like there s nothing wrong?

Apple! At least display an accurate status of your services. Accurate status would at least convey some sense of awareness of the problem. As is stands now, I have no indication anything is being done to address the issue.

It's worked. Many thanks sls9201. You're a star for posting that. Touch wood, it has saved me many hours, although I lost several before finding your post. Fingers crossed that the solution will hold....

Apple's handling of this whole thing is unbelievably bad. I feel very misled.

My email reception has been very spotty since the move to iCloud a couple months ago. Both in the Mail client and on the webmail site, I have experience a lot of refusal of access problems. Tried resetting the p/w and deleting and restoring the account: I get mail for a few days, then am refused access to the incoming server again. Very disheartening. Ready to move completely to gmail. This is a major headache as I have been using @mac.com email for many years, with a number of aliases for various interest groups and discussion lists.

After reading that this has been going on since last summer, I think we are forced to admit that iCloud email is unstable and that Apple has absolutely no idea how to fix it, otherwise they would be talking about it. Only solution I can see is to abandon ship. 🙂

You're right, Apple is just another big company whose goal is screw over customers and frustrate them.

I hate it when a company is successful.

They turn into unresponsive losers who think they can bully and harrass their customers.

Yep, same, although its just that it cannot load e mails, and very frustrating, works on my ipad and phone - dont know where to go from here

Still the same issue for me ... even now in 2015, three years and four upgrades later!!