iPhone can't get mail because account is in use on another device

Question

iPhone can't get mail because account is in use on another device

I have never had this issue with my iPhone 5 email accounts.

These are only for my emails hosted on my VPS for my websites, so basically any email ending in xxxxx@xxxxxxx.com is throwing this error:

"Cannot Get Mail"
"The account xx.com is in use on another device"

I have a MacBook Pro, iMac 27" and two iPhones in the house and NEVER had this issue in the past. I was always able to open mail on the phone with all computers open and mail open on them

I am continuing to get this error and the mail app on the MacBook and iMac are NOT open and they are totally closed out.

iphone 5 v 7.0.6 - just updated while I was composing this thread.

Phone still throws the same error as described above.

Anyone else with this issue?

Anyone know how to resolve this?

iPhone 5, iOS 6.1.4

Posted on Feb 24, 2014 6:37 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

matt00

Level 5

4,041 points

Feb 27, 2014 2:18 PM in response to Twitchin Kitten

Hey Twitchin Kitten,

Thanks for the question. Is your email account setup as POP? The symptoms you have described sound related to “Pop Locking”:

Using a POP account with more than one device

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3228

About "Pop Locking"

The POP3 mail protocol was designed in some cases to support one connection at a time. When multiple devices attempt to access the mailbox at the same time, the devices may get locked out or you may be prompted to re-enter the account password.

Try to have only one device access the POP3 server at a time. If you are affected by this issue, wait 20 minutes before trying again, or contact your email service provider (ESP) to clear the lock.

If available, try setting up the email account with IMAP. For information or assistance on this, contact your email provider.

Thanks,

Matt M.

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