cannot add email accounts iOS 10

Question

Level 1

4 points

cannot add email accounts iOS 10

My phone is iPhone 6s IOS 10.02

I could not find my mail icon. Tried sending an email from contacts and came back with an error that the Mail App needed to be downloaded from the store. Did so. Now when I try to launch the app, I get the welcome screen and the options to add an account. When I try to add the account, I get the error message:

"Cannot Create Account. An identical Outlook account already exists <OK Button>

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

tc

iPhone 6s, iOS 10.0.2

Posted on Oct 14, 2016 4:09 PM

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Answer 1

sberman

Level 10

272,406 points

Oct 14, 2016 4:25 PM in response to twcaddell

Your post is very confusing because information is omitted.

twcaddell wrote:

... came back with an error that the Mail App needed to be downloaded from the store. Did so.

This is the first piece of major confusion. iOS contains a Mail app that is embedded within iOS. It is not available at the App Store. So whatever you downloaded, and were told needed to be downloaded, is not an iOS Mail app.

twcaddell wrote:

... I get the error message:

"Cannot Create Account. An identical Outlook account already exists <OK Button>

This suggests that maybe you are trying to add an Outlook (or Microsoft Exchange??) app to handle your email. Maybe ????

We need lots more information. Perhaps you have not used iOS' mail app at all, which may well be easier than whatever you're trying.

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Answer 2

ShagCA

Level 5

6,365 points

Oct 14, 2016 4:36 PM in response to sberman

sberman wrote:

This is the first piece of major confusion. iOS contains a Mail app that is embedded within iOS. It is not available at the App Store. So whatever you downloaded, and were told needed to be downloaded, is not an iOS Mail app.

OP says iOS 10. You can remove Mail app:

Remove built-in Apple apps from the Home screen on your iOS device with iOS 10 - Apple Support

Once removed, you will have to go to the app store to add it back.

If you have iOS 10, you can remove these apps from your Home screen:

Mail
Maps³
Music³
News
Notes

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Answer 3

ShagCA

Level 5

6,365 points

Oct 14, 2016 4:35 PM in response to twcaddell

Did you remove Mail app? Add it back:

Add a previously removed built-in app

Go to the App Store and search for the app. Tap to restore the app.
Wait for the app to restore, then open it from your Home screen.

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Answer 4

sberman

Level 10

272,406 points

Oct 14, 2016 4:40 PM in response to ShagCA

Ah yes, you're quite right. The Mail app can now be deleted.

I apologize for the obsolete information.

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Answer 5

twcaddell Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 15, 2016 3:17 PM in response to twcaddell

I solved it. Yes you can delete the mail app in iOS 10. When you add the app back to the phone from the App Store, it acts as if you have no email account added to the app. When you do try to add an account that was existing, you get the error mentioned above. The solution is:

1. Go to Setting--> Mail

2. Push the "Accounts" arrow on right side. This shows all the accounts that were previously loaded

3. Push on an account's arrow on right side

4. Turn on the "Mail" switch.

When I did the above, mail appeared in my Mail app

Thanks all for the suggestions

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