The ongoing AT&T U-verse and Mac mail client problems

Here's the critical part: Before ANY mail can be received or sent using your Mac Mail client, you must log in at http://www.att.net, click on CHECK MAIL, and enter your same User Name and Password.

I just switched from Comcast to ATT Uverse. I have my own email and web domain hosted at Hostmonster. But their email servers routinely get blacklisted due to spam from other hosting subscribers that share the same email gateway server IP address as my server. I discovered that many recipients were not receiving my emails. In particular, a service from TrendMicro filters email received at my work based on blacklists. When I'd send email from my personal email address to my work email address, they weren't getting delivered.

I've adjusted the outbound email server on all my devices for my personal email account to send through an email server with a cleaner reputation. Formerly, I sent through Comcast's outbound server. But when I tried to change that setup today, to send through ATT, I could not authenticate the outbound SMTP server connection. That is, UNTIL I did what was recommended above.

It seems that the ATT email server won't authenticate your credential until you fill out the webform and answer all the security questions at ATT-Yahoo email.

AT&T probably figure most people will certainly set up an AT&T email account, and so never run into this problem. But I never use the free email accounts at Apple, Comcast, and now ATT. And I have lots of friends who eschew the ISP email accounts in favor of private domain branded email addresses that last decades independent of the shifting sands of changing ISPs. I'm glad I finally got it figured out.

THANK YOU!

My ATT account is set up as IMAP and works fine. You probably didn't have the right server settings for it or something else is going on. Actually ATT never advertised their mail as IMAP and they won't give settings for it. But it does work as I have mine set for IMAP between 3 different devices without problems.

If you only have one device, then you should just leave it as a POP account.

For having to log into ATT.net each time you shut your computer down is wrong also. You should never have to do that. When you go into the ATT Webmail site and choose options, open the POP & Forwarding section and be sure you have the box checked to allow your mail to be POPed to other mail clients.

Thank you SO MUCH! I had this same problem and your step-by-step approach finally solved 3 hours of frustration!!!! Can't thank you enough! I couldn't get it to allow mwe to change the IMAP to POP so I had to use my former server setup and change the incoming and outgoing settings along with my new username and password. Donm't know what I would have done if I hadn't seen this!

I'm having the same problem. I had my mail set up as Glenn does (IMAP with the old ATT/Yahoo servers) and it stopped working today. I then tried to reconfigure the account with the new POP servers (inbound.att.net), but I can not access my account. I can log in via the webmail interface without problem. Something is wrong with AT&T's mail servers... this isn't on my end as I have several machines and they all stopped working at the same time.

Thank you! I was on ATT support chats twice. They ran me through the same canned troubleshooting, then tried to do a remote session twice which aparently they say doesn't work with my a Mac, then gave up and gave me the same server settings that I can read off the ATT support screens. After giving up they give me the number of their advance support line which is a paid service. Obviously I was a bit frustrated. I'm glad to see these posts. It worked like a charm!