Technical language can get confusing quite quickly, especially in the context of troubling error messages. If you’re stumped by the sudden appearance of a prompt that indicates your email client application’s IMAP server is not responding, fear not! Follow along with any of our diverse approaches to troubleshooting this common issue on iPhone and iOS devices.
What does the IMAP server not responding error mean?
Repeated error messages of any kind can be overwhelming, especially if they first take a little decoding to understand.
IMAP, which is an abbreviation for Internet Message Access Protocol, offers users the ability to directly manage emails on the email server. If your device is set up using an IMAP email account, you will only receive a list of incoming emails with subject lines, and messages will be completely loaded once you open them in your email program. The protocol also allows you to read messages from other email clients, like Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.
These settings essentially allow for full access and functionality to your email account without your whole inbox being directly downloaded to your device. Messages will only be downloaded once you open them, but images and/or attachments will not be by default. With IMAP, you can build folders on the email server and move messages around to your liking, and they will remain in their respective places on any device that you want to open your email with.
The “IMAP server not responding” error message signals that these functions are not working properly. You may not be able to send, receive, or perform any other task on the email server – and for no clear reason.
Why do you see the Cannot Get Mail error message?
When you’re prompted with the “IMAP server not responding” error message, or one of its variation like “Cannot Get Mail” or “mail server not responding,” unfortunately, there’s no simple diagnosis of the issue. Usually, if your inbox seems to be working normally, an IMAP error message may indicate a small issue with your internet connection or email server. Other times, a less obvious problem could be the culprit and some troubleshooting will be necessary.
Some common causes for this error include:
- The mobile email server application itself may be facing errors.
- The SSL certificate could be disabled.
- Email account configurations could be incorrect.
- The application may be out of date or simply unable to communicate with the respective email servers.
8 simple solutions to the mail server not responding error
Regardless of the issue, the “IMAP server not responding” error message can be resolved with some patience and one of the following solutions.
Refresh the inbox
If there’s even a slight issue with your internet connection or connection to the email server, this incredibly simple solution may resolve the apparent error with the IMAP server.
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open your email client application.
- Choose the inbox that is prompting you with the error message.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
If the “IMAP server not responding” error message persists, continue to the next solution.
Send an email from the problematic inbox
Oftentimes, the quick and simple fix can be done by sending an email from the email account that is prompting you with the error message – that is, if the issue is only stopping you from receiving new emails.
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open your email client application.
- Choose the inbox that is prompting you with the error message.
- Select “Compose”.
- Enter the problematic email in the “To” line.
- Enter “Test” in the “Subject” line.
- Send the email.
- See if the email has sent properly by checking your inbox.
If the Cannot Get Mail error is still showing, continue to the next solution.
Force-quit from the background applications
We don’t always know why it works – sometimes it just does. Simply quitting and restarting an application that is presenting technical issues can prove to be yet another effective solution to the mail server not responding error.
If you are using a device with a physical Home button:
- Double-press the Home button in rapid succession to view recently used apps.
- Swipe left or right through the rolodex of open applications and locate the email client application.
- Close the app by swiping up on its preview.
- Open your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
If you are using a device without a physical Home button (iPhone 8 and later models):
- Go to the Home screen.
- Swipe up from the bottom of your screen and pause slightly in the middle of the display.
- Swipe left or right through the rolodex of open applications and locate the email client application.
- Close the app by swiping up on its preview.
- Open your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
If the mail server is not responding error persists, continue to the next method.
Check your internet connection
A weak or unstable internet connection could very well contribute to this frustrating error, so ensuring a solid cellular or Wi-Fi signal should be one of the first few solutions you try while troubleshooting.
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open Settings.
- Select “Wi-Fi”.
- Ensure Wi-Fi or cellular data is enabled.
- If using Wi-Fi, select the name of the network you want to join.
- If it appears that the network’s signal is weak, reset your router and rejoin.
- After securing a stable connection, return to the Home screen.
- Open your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
Check if the error has been cleared. If you can still see IMAP server not responding, go to the next fix.
Ensure iOS is up-to-date
When it comes to iOS, sometimes even small bugs can be the cause of an IMAP server error message. Checking for operating system updates can cross this possibility off your list of root problems.
To update your iOS device:
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open Settings.
- Select “Software Update”.
- Check for the currently installed version of iOS and whether an update is available to you.
- If possible, begin the latest update. (To turn on automatic updates, select “Automatic Updates” and enable the option.)
- Return to the Home screen.
- Open your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
If you can still see the Cannot Get Mail message after updating to the latest version, continue to the next solution.
Remove and add the troublesome email account again
Another possible issue could be that the incoming and outgoing information for your account could no longer be accepted by the email server. While not as quick of a fix, removing and re-adding your email account can help the application to auto-configure the correct settings.
To delete your account:
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open Settings.
- Select “Accounts & Passwords”.
- Select the problematic email account and select “Delete Account”.
To re-add your account:
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open Settings.
- Select “Accounts & Passwords”.
- Select “Add Account”.
- Choose your email provider from the list.
- Sign in to the appropriate email provider using your credentials.
- Return to the Home screen.
- Open your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
If your mail server is still not responding, check the next method.
Allow access into Google account
If the issue appears with a Gmail account, you need to ensure that you’ve authorized access to the inbox for other devices.
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open Safari.
- Copy and paste the following URL into the browser:
https://accounts.google.com/b/0/DisplayUnlockCaptcha - Select “Continue”.
- Return to the Home screen.
- Open your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
If the IMAP server not responding message is still present on your screen, we have one last fix for you.
Manually configure server, port, and authentication options
Occasionally, the email server could be the cause of the error, either because your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is blocking necessary ports or incoming and outgoing server settings are incorrectly configured. If either of these apply, you will need to contact your ISP, then reroute emails to a special outgoing server provided by your ISP.
Once you have the correct email server settings:
- Go to the Home screen.
- Open Settings.
- Select “Accounts & Passwords”.
- Select the problematic email account.
- Select the account cell that contains the email address.
- Select the cell under Outgoing Mail Server in order to configure the outgoing email server for the account.
- Select the primary server used for this account.
- Under Outgoing Mail Server, adjust the host name (server address), username (email address), password, SSL settings, authentication method, and server port number to comply with the server’s correct settings.
- Repeat steps 1-4.
- Select “Advanced” to open more settings.
- Under Incoming Settings, adjust SSL settings, IMAP Path Prefix, and server port number to comply with the server from which you’re receiving emails.
- Force-quit the email client application.
- Reopen your email client application.
- Navigate to the problematic inbox.
- Pull down on the inbox to refresh your email’s content.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting an error that may not have an abundantly clear solution can often result in a headache, but a solution that has your email client application working as it should is definitely worth it the effort. With several options for you to try, we are confident that at least one will do the trick and fix the IMAP server not responding issue.
