on my iphone it says unable to connect to server when i try to download mail.

Hello, bills47.

Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.

I would first start with forcing the Mail App to close then attempt to access your account again.

iOS: Force an app to close

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5137

If the issue persists, the easiest way to troubleshoot this issue would be to delete the account and add it back to the iOS device. Below, I have included two e-mail troubleshooting articles. The first article covers basic email troubleshooting. The second article will assist you if the email account you are experiencing issues with is a Gmail account.

iOS: Troubleshooting Mail

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3899

iOS: Gmail account will not connect to Gmail server

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3058

Cheers,

Jason H.

Is the iPhone email account using SSL, if not then perhaps it requires that?