After ios9 update my emails with attachments won't open and say "message not yet downloaded from server". They were there previously. How do I get them back?

Regarding the issue of embedded email content becoming unavailable when the network connection is interrupted or a device is put into airplane mode, and then the content becoming available once again when the network connection is re-established ..... after updating to 9.2, ScoutSF wrote:

"As I did when testing earlier versions of 9.x, I've put my phone in airplane mode without turning on Wifi and have been able to retrieve all messages, BUT, graphics and some linked content in these emails drop when doing so. To the best of my recollection, POP3 email used to be downloaded in its entirety to the phone and was 100% retrievable regardless of internet connectivity, so this would appear to be one of the space saving features Apple is holding on to."

I have an iPhone and a Hewlett Packard PC (obviously a non-Apple product). They both access the same email account, and both are set up as POP email accounts. Importantly, when I turn off the network connection to my PC, embedded email content disappears from within emails on my PC. The embedded content then reappears in the emails on my PC when I re-establish the network connection. My PC is therefore displaying identical behaviour to my iPhone with regards to embedded email content.

I believe that the issue of embedded email content disappearing and then reappearing, depending on the status of one's network connection, is an inherent feature of POP email accounts in general (for whatever reason), and responsibility for this particular issue cannot be attributed to Apple.

I would be interested in hearing feedback from any other user who can also test this issue on a non-Apple product.

So another several wasted hours...

delete all content > restore from backup = same result (resurrected emails)

delete all content > restore as new = same result

delete all content > restore as new = same result

delete all content > iTunes restore as new = same result

delete all content > restore as new > delete all content > restore as new > delete all content > restore as new = same result

Each time more than 5 emails are deleted - the Trash folder resurrects any mails that have been handled on the device.

Additionally, 6 test messages sent from POP and IMAP accounts, none of the messages had any content just a header:

- the first message received sent from IMAP - displayed “not downloaded…”

- 2nd & 3rd messages received, correctly displayed - “message has no content”

- the 1st & 2nd message sent from POP, correctly displayed - “message has no content”

- 3rd message, displayed “not downloaded…”

I'd say that 9.2 still has some bugs.

Another day to look forward to with Apple Support - oh goody!

HenryinOztraya wrote:

" Importantly, when I turn off the network connection to my PC, embedded email content disappears from within emails on my PC. The embedded content then reappears in the emails on my PC when I re-establish the network connection. My PC is therefore displaying identical behaviour to my iPhone with regards to embedded email content."

That content, usually images, is not embedded, not included in the source code of the message itself. In the source code that content is linked to at the position where it should appear and it will only be visible when connected to the internet. This is normal behaviour. Truly embedded images will appear regardless available internet connection.

That's an interesting opinion, but I hazard that's all it is in the context of Pop email. When I download an email, I accept that there is some information embedded in the message while other content is retrieved from an external link. But when I've downloaded that content, in my opinion it should stay downloaded until I decide otherwise. Imap et al are perhaps a different matter as I believe they may be predicated on an always on connection. Pop isn't.

@ Brantome

Sorry, but I have to correct you. Content that is linked to in email can only be viewed while online. That content is not saved locally in your mail application with the mail message itself. When it is loaded while on-line, it cannot be viewed again later while off-line. I have several POP3 accounts, some for more than 20 years, I never had IMAP accounts, and this is the behaviour I have always seen. Maybe some mail applications save external content when loaded, but the applications I used never did.

Ronald P. Regensburg, I don't pretend to fully understand your references to non-embedded image content in relation to the source code of the message and its being linked to a position where it should appear when connected to the internet. I am happy to respectfully defer to your better knowledge of this subject.

The only point I was trying to make was that content of some emails (generally photos, or perhaps specifically photos or images with links to them) disappeared from both my iPhone, when its internet connection was turned off, and separately disappeared from my PC (not an Apple product) when its internet connection was turned off. When internet connection was restored to either device, its images reappeared.

I brought this now to the discussion as several people had mentioned that content of their email messages were disappearing and then reappearing since the upgrade to iOS 9.2. I just wanted to highlight that this certainly appears to be an inherent feature of the POP protocol, and appears to have nothing to do with Apple and the mess it created with its update from 8.4 to 9.0.

Hi carolinseattle,

If you read up a few messages you'll see that amongst the many issues with IOS 9.2 Applemail I was reporting the same as one of the issues you're having.

i.e. some messages moved to the trashbin are not displaying the email body text correctly.

If that email is then moved back to the inbox, sometimes but not always the body reappears.

Worse still, if that email is moved from the trashbin to the sent box it completely disappears, never to be seen again!

So good old Applemail is still deleting emails without trace!

This is repeatable and reproducible with 100% success.

hey, you should be so lucky...

each time I delete more than 5 messages or use 'trash all', the Trash folder is resurrecting all emails that have been deleted on the device.
I have:
- deleted account and rebooted
- deleted iPad and restored from backup
- deleted iPad and restore as new device via wifi (twice)
- deleted iPad and restore as new device via iTunes
- deleted iPad and restore as new device via iTunes again
- deleted account and rebooted
every single time - same result... delete more than 5 messages at same time and Trash folder resurrects ALL messages ever deleted. Delete them one at at time and Trash folder appears to behave normally.
corrupt database cache?
iPad Air / 9.2 / POP3 account

Hallo andreasfromgladbeck,

seit der Installation von iOS 9.2 Update Mail-App funktioniert nicht richtig. jedes Mal, wenn ich mehr als 5 Nachrichten löschen, oder verwenden Sie "Papierkorb alle", das Papierkorb-Ordner wird alle E-Mails, die auf th gelöscht wurden, wieder aufleben
Ich habe:
- gelöschtes Konto und neu gestartet
- Gelöscht iPad und Wiederherstellung von Backup-
- IPad gelöscht und zum neuen Gerät wiederherstellen via Wi-Fi (zweimal)
- Gelöscht iPad und Wiederherstellung als neue Gerät über iTunes (zweimal)

jedes einzelne Mal - gleiche Ergebnis ... löschen mehr als 5 Nachrichten zur gleichen Zeit und Papierkorb-Ordner auferstehen ALLE Nachrichten immer gelöscht. Löschen Sie sie ein zu Zeitpunkt und Papierkorb-Ordner scheint normal zu verhalten

Haben Sie Erfahrung der gleiche Problem? Kann Sie helfen Bitte? Danke, Gruß

mariotheplumber wrote:

"each time I delete more than 5 messages or use 'trash all'"

Where do you see "Trash all"?

EDIT (top next to folder name eg: inbox)

Trash All (bottom right)

doesnt need to be Trash All... selecting more than 5 messages and deleting at same time produces same result.

Hm, I can only send selected messages to the Trash. No "Trash all" here on my iPad. Wish there was. If I want to trash all messages, I first need to select them all individually. Only in the Trash mailbox I can delete all messages from the Trash at once.

@Brantome

Not actually a novel idea - as what you suggest is exactly the way that most enterprise email clients, such as MS Outlook, operate. When set-up optimally, "embedded content" or attachments aren't downloaded until requested (this feature in part providing enhanced protection from malware) - but once downloaded from the email server, content remains available to the client. Once retreived/downloaded from the mail server, this content remains available to the cllient without having to reload the content.

THis expected//normal functionality serves three important functions. Downloaded attachments and embedded content remain accessible whilst offline - reduces bandwith requirements as content isn't repeatedly downloaded from the mail server - and reduces cellular costs.

This was the behaviour in previous iOS email clients. For example, an email retrieved from the server and immediately moved to trash, prior to reading content, did not download attachments or embedded content; if subsequently accessed from trash, no email content (other than basic body text) would be visible. By contrast, an email retrieved from the server - and read - would download attachments and embedded content; when moved to trash, the entire content would remain available until eventually deleted - even when offline from an active network or cellular connection.

As an aside, if mail clients had to reload content upon every access, as suggested by some contributors to this forum, then email clients (such as POP) set to delete content from the server during message retrieval would only be able to read embedded content once; subsequent attempts to refresh content would fail!

LotusPilot wrote:

"As an aside, if mail clients had to reload content upon every access, as suggested by some contributors to this forum, then email clients (such as POP) set to delete content from the server during message retrieval would only be able to read embedded content once; subsequent attempts to refresh content would fail!"

Not sure if you are referring to my contributions, but I have not been talking about embedded content or attachments, but about external content as is abundant in most commercial email. That content (images) is not on the mail server, POP or IMAP, has never been on any mail server, was not sent as mail. That content resides on (private) servers of the sender and is retrieved again and again each time the mail message is openend. Those external images may look like embedded images, but they are not. They will only be visible when an internet connection is available.

.... unless, of course the images are cached by the receiving mail application in the way web browsers cache images. Mail in OSX and Mail in iOS apparently do not.